I know I promised a few recipes with yogurt this week, in honor of the Blogger Secret Ingredient. It came at a good time because I was planning on making baked zucchini fries, and what goes better with zucchini fries than ranch dressing? And ranch dressing goes perfectly with almost anything I can think of (raw veggies, crackers, sandwiches, grilled meats, etc.) so I always make extra. The zucchini is really just a guise so I don’t just eat the ranch by itself.
A Note on the Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own. Pour ½ c of milk into a small bowl, then add ½ TB of lemon juice or vinegar (I like to use some kind of white vinegar for this). Don’t stir! Let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle, then use.
Baked Zucchini Fries with Homemade Buttermilk-Yogurt Ranch Dressing
(Yield: 2 servings, plus extra dressing)
Zucchini Fries:
1 medium zucchini, cut into long, thin pieces
¼ c Italian-style dry breadcrumbs
2 TB fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried herbs (any combination of parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, etc.)
½ tsp garlic powder
Pinch salt and pepper
1 egg beaten with 2 TB milk
Cooking spray
Buttermilk-Yogurt Ranch Dressing:
½ c buttermilk
5 TB Greek plain low-fat yogurt
1 TB dried parsley
½ tsp dried dill
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, dried herbs, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Coat the zucchini in the egg/milk mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange the zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping the zucchini once.
For the dressing, whisk together all ingredients. Serve the zucchini alongside the dressing for dipping.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Holly says
September 16, 2009 at 12:02 pmthat looks like perfection – seriously! your food always looks SO beautiful!
Dawn (HealthySDLiving) says
September 16, 2009 at 12:08 pmThese look delicious and highly addicting! :) I definitely want to try the Buttermilk-Yogurt Ranch Dressing!!
Rosa says
September 16, 2009 at 12:09 pmA great idea! Those fries must taste great!
Cheers,
Rosa
Blond Duck says
September 16, 2009 at 1:21 pmPrinting! I’m so impressed! I would have never thought of this!
Chiara says
September 16, 2009 at 1:47 pmYum! I love zucchini sticks. I’ll have to try your version next time I make them.
Heavenly Housewife says
September 16, 2009 at 1:56 pmThis is so clever. I’ve never seen zucchini fries before :) how deslish!
Jen says
September 16, 2009 at 3:29 pmMy local farm market still has plenty of zucchini. I make it every which way but this is really different. Your pictures are amazing – I want to reach into my screen and grab some!
nora@ffr says
September 16, 2009 at 3:42 pmZucchini Fries are among my favorites! will definitely try ye way!! yumm!!!
cheers!
Reeni says
September 16, 2009 at 5:48 pmThese look terrific! And the dressing sounds perfect with them!
Nutmeg Nanny says
September 16, 2009 at 6:26 pmThese zucchini fries look awesome but the dipping sauce looks even more amazing! I love the use of yogurt in this dish:)
Karyn (French Charming) says
September 16, 2009 at 8:00 pmThat’s it…I’m coming over! So clever, can’t wait to give them a try!!
Hugs,
Karyn
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
September 17, 2009 at 12:41 amLove the idea of using zucchini for fries and so true but if you don’t have buttermilk just souring the milk works a treat! :)
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
September 17, 2009 at 9:46 amGreat idea to make zucchini fries and the Buttermilk-Yogurt Ranch Dressing sounds perfect with those! Excellent!
Candy says
September 17, 2009 at 10:39 amThese look so delicious. Great idea to bake then rather than fry too. Beautiful pictures by the way :)
Tanya says
September 17, 2009 at 11:34 amThis looks so fantastic – especially the baked zucchini fries! I have got to try this.
Juliana says
September 17, 2009 at 11:54 amYummie, these fried zucchini look so tasty and the dressing with yogurt look very refreshing with it :-)
lynn@queenofthecastlerecipes says
September 17, 2009 at 1:26 pmOh yum. I have a zucchini on my kitchen counter that is just crying out to be crumbed and baked. Thank you, thank you!
Jen (Running With Cake) says
September 17, 2009 at 7:41 pmYour yogurt dip looks fantastic! Sounds like it would taste good on a pita sandwich too.
lynn@queenofthecastlerecipes says
September 17, 2009 at 8:04 pmI crumbed and baked my zucchini tonight, and dipped the finished product in some creamy Caesar dressing I had on hand. Yum. Thanks for the inspiration.
theUngourmet says
September 17, 2009 at 10:17 pmThis is just so yummy for my tummy! I haven’t had zucchini this way in ages. Now you’ve got me craving it!! ;0)
Blond Duck says
September 18, 2009 at 3:54 amPerhaps Mrs. Watkins lived in the house that spooked you growing up…
Barbara says
September 18, 2009 at 6:06 amI’ve never made zucchini fries like these and the yogurt dressing? Delish! Your photos are wonderful and mouth-watering.
TBC says
November 22, 2009 at 4:34 pmHi Faith! I just came across this post of yours while I was looking for a quick snack to make this evening. I made the fries and the dip following your recipes here- both tasted absolutely great!
Thank you so much for the recipes! :D
Veronica M. says
June 20, 2010 at 9:38 pmI’ve made these! Is this the Weight Watchers recipe? That’s the one I used but I wasn’t brilliant enough to make dressing to go with it–that would have been even better! You’ll freak out when I tell you what I served them with. Corn(dog) Bread. Yeah, Cornbread with hotdogs laying on top so when you cut them out it was like a corndog. We actually really liked them!