Zucchini Relish Recipe for Topping Burgers and More

This zucchini relish recipe is a favorite around here. It’s good on burgers, but excellent for mixing into potato salad or egg salad for an extra burst of flavor, too.

Got more zucchini than you know what to do with? Try our favorite chocolate zucchini bread, too!

When zucchini season is upon us, it’s often a challenge to figure out just what to do with all of that abundance. Zucchini — otherwise known as summer squash — is a crop that just keeps on giving.

When you’ve exhausted your repertoire of ways to eat it as part of your daily menu plan, consider preserving some of it for the winter with this easy zucchini relish.

Related: Easy Canning Recipes for the Novice Home Canner

Nostalgic zucchini relish recipe

Remember Del Monte hamburger relish? Talk about a blast from the past. This relish recipe, made from zucchini, tastes just like the Del Monte version. It’s sweet and somewhat tangy, but uses only wholesome ingredients that may very well have come out of your garden.

It’s great on burgers, of course, but I use it to add extra flavor to things like egg salad, deviled eggs, potato salad, and even mixed into meatloaf.

We’re not the only ones who love this zucchini relish recipe, though. Sarah over at Horseradish and Honey gave it a solid thumbs up over on Instagram.

Making this recipe

You’ll make this recipe in two stages. First, chop the zucchini, onions, and peppers and allow them to sit overnight with salt. This causes the vegetables to release some of their natural juices.

The next day, drain the vegetables then cook with the remaining ingredients.

To preserve as a shelf stable pantry item, you’ll need to process the relish in a water bath canner. This isn’t difficult to do, but you will need some specialized canning equipment.

Ladle the hot relish into jars, wipe the jar rim, place the lid in place, and screw on the bands. Place the jars into boiling water and process for ten minutes.

Remove the jars from the canner and cool; you’ll hear a little “tink!” as each seals. The lids should feel taut and somewhat concave. These are safe to store at room temperature. Any that don’t seal should be refrigerated and used first.

Related: Canning Recipes to Preserve the Summertime Garden Abundance

★ Did you make this zucchini relish? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

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Zucchini Relish Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Time: 8 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 9 hours 5 minutes

This zucchini relish recipe is a favorite around here. It's good on burgers, but excellent for mixing into potato salad or egg salad, too.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated organic cane sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Pinch nutmeg

Instructions

1. A shortcut to start you off: If you have a food processor you can just toss roughly chopped zucchini, onions, and peppers into the bowl of the processor and pulse until they’re a good size. I like mine in about 1/8 – 1/4″ pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, just chop them finely by hand.
2. Combine zucchini, onion, peppers, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Chill overnight.
3. Place in a colander to drain; rinse thoroughly and drain again.
4. Transfer to a large stock pot and add remaining ingredients.
5. Bring just to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. At this point, the relish is done. You can just put it in jars and then in the refrigerator to use right away or give as gifts.
6. If you’d like your finished zucchini relish recipe to be shelf stable, you’ll need to process it. Ladle hot relish into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
7. Wipe rims with a damp cloth (to assure a good seal), screw sterilized lids on, and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
8. Remove jars to the countertop and allow to cool naturally.
9. Wipe jars and store without the rings.

Notes

Important: This is not scary. It takes about an hour to make 3 pints of relish. If you know how to operate a stove and chop veggies, you’re good to go.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195Unsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 41gProtein: 1g

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