Zucchini Mock Apple Pie

Growing up, my parents had a zucchini garden in their backyard that would grow more squash than we could handle. Each summer, it would reach a point where every dish we ate contained zucchini.Zucchini egg scramble, zucchini cookies, zucchini bread, fried zucchini, baked zucchini, zucchini lasagna.Just when I was about to swear off zucchini forever, my parents found a recipe called mock apple zucchini pie. As a dietitian, Ive tried a lot of substitution recipes, and this might be the most deceptive recipe out there (maybe besides my squash mac and cheese recipe). I have not found a single person who has tried this pie and didnt think it contained apples.

This pie is so mind-blowing that the only modification I made was to replace cardamon with vanilla since cardamon is not a common kitchen staple. Im sharing the original recipe fromFood.com( with a few insignificant changes). To know how to make the pie crust for this recipe, check out my secrets for a flaky pie crust.

Note: As happy as I am that this pie contains vegetables and is a great way to use up some leftover zucchini, I will admit it does take a long time to prepare. With that being said, if you do decide to make this pie, make sure you have a few hours devoted to baking, or boil the zucchini the day before.

Zucchini Mock Apple Pie from Food.com

Ingredients:

• 9 medium sized zucchinis (peel, cut lengthwise, remove seeds, slice 1/4 inch thick)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch ( you can also use 2 tablespoons flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 pie crusts
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Boil a pot of water over the stove.
2. Boil zucchini slices until barely tender (about 2 minutes).
3. Remove the water from the heat and drain well. Allow the zucchini to cool. Remove the moisture from the zucchini with paper towels. Removing as much moisture as possible will prevent the pie from being runny.
4. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and salt until well coated.
5. Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan. Fill pie pan with zucchini mixture. Dot filling with butter cubes. Drizzle vinegar on top.
6. Top filling with the other crust.
7. Brush crust lightly with water and sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake for 15 minutes at 425F
9. Reduce heat to 350F and bake about 45 minutes.

Let me know what you think of this recipe! Were you as surprised as I? Share your picture with me on Instagram @isabellabrownnutrition