Five ways to stop the courgette pile becoming a chore

Too many courgettes become a problem when every dinner asks them to behave the same way. Thin slices turn wet, thick chunks stay firm, and a large seedy one can make a fritter mixture collapse. I sort the pile by size and choose five different jobs: roast, grate, blend, ribbon and stew. That uses the vegetable instead of forcing every one into another pan of soft green coins.

Here are the five dinners I return to when the drawer is full. They are not interchangeable. The first wants browned edges, the second wants squeezed shreds, and the last wants the extra water that makes a sauce. Use the method that fits the courgette you have, and the glut starts looking like ingredients rather than homework.

1. Roast batons with lemon and yogurt

Cut small or medium courgettes into thick batons, dry them well and toss with oil, salt and cumin.

Roast on a preheated metal tray at 220°C fan for about 20 minutes, turning once. The pieces should have browned corners and a centre that gives when pressed. Finish with lemon zest, chopped herbs and a spoon of Greek yogurt.

This is the dinner for the firmest fruit.

Do not use a deep dish; the sides hold steam close to the squash. I leave a finger of space between the batons and add the yogurt after the tray comes out. A warm spoonful of yogurt melts into the edges, while a cold one on top keeps the plate fresh.

2. Courgette fritters with a sharp dip

The order matters if the pile is already soft. I grate the largest fruit before I start dinner, because the towel can drain while the oven heats. The small firm ones wait for the tray and keep their shape. A courgette that has started to bend does not need to be thrown away, but it does need a different job. Sorting first means I am not asking a tired vegetable to become a crisp side dish at the last minute.

Grate large courgettes, salt the shreds and leave them for 10 minutes.

Squeeze them in a clean towel until the liquid slows to a drip, then mix with egg, flour, scallions and pepper. Fry small patties over medium heat so the centre cooks before the outside burns. A 500 g courgette gave me 180 g of squeezed shreds in my last batch.

The size of the fritter matters. I use a heaped tablespoon per patty and press it thin, around 1 cm.

Thick fritters stay wet in the middle and soak up oil. Serve with yogurt mixed with lemon and a pinch of salt. The [zucchini fritters](/recipes/zucchini-fritters) method has the same useful squeeze step and can take the rest of a market bag.

3. Courgette and white bean soup

Sweat onion and garlic in olive oil, add chopped courgette and a peeled potato, then cover with stock.

Simmer for 18 minutes, blend half the pot and return it to the pan with white beans. The potato gives body without cream, while the beans make the bowl substantial enough for dinner.

Use the large courgettes here. Their water becomes part of the broth, and the soft centre disappears in the blender.

I keep a few browned slices aside for the top because a smooth green bowl needs contrast. Toasted seeds, chili oil or a piece of bread all work, but the soup needs one crisp thing.

4. Courgette ribbon pasta

Use a peeler to make long ribbons from small firm courgettes, stopping when you reach the seedy core.

Cook pasta separately. In the last minute, warm garlic and olive oil in a wide pan, add the ribbons and a splash of pasta water, then toss the drained pasta through. The ribbons need less than two minutes; longer and they turn into strands of mush.

I use one courgette per generous portion of pasta, not three.

The vegetable is there to loosen the sauce and give a fresh bite, not to replace every noodle. Lemon, herbs and grated hard cheese finish it. For a more vegetable-led bowl, use the [zucchini ribbon salad](/recipes/zucchini-ribbon-salad) idea and add warm beans or a fried egg.

5. Tomato courgette stew

Brown thick courgette chunks in oil, remove them, then cook onion, garlic and tomato paste in the same pot.

Add tinned tomatoes and return the courgette with chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the sauce clings to the pieces. This is the best use for a mixed bag because the red tomato base gives soft pieces somewhere to go.

Do not add the raw courgette to cold tomato sauce and hope it will brown later.

It will soften, release water and thin the stew. The short browning stage is worth the extra bowl. Add spinach at the end if you have it, and serve with flatbread or rice. The [harissa aubergine with chickpeas](/recipes/harissa-aubergine-with-chickpeas-for-a-one-pan-dinner) uses the same logic with a different summer vegetable.

How I choose the route

Firm and small goes to the tray or the ribbons.

Large and wet goes to fritters or soup. A mixed pile becomes stew after the firm pieces have had a turn in the pan. Five dinners sound like a lot, but they are five different answers to the same water problem.

Use the whole pile without repeating dinner

A courgette glut becomes manageable when you process one batch at a time.

Roast the firm pieces, grate the large ones and turn the soft leftovers into soup stock. Keep the flavours different as well: lemon and yogurt for the tray, herbs for the fritters, tomato and spice for the stew. The vegetable can repeat while the meal does not.

That is the point of keeping several methods close. You do not need a heroic recipe that uses two kilos in one sitting. You need a sequence that makes the next kilo easier.