Eat-All-Your-Vegetables Pancakes

Eat-All-Your-Vegetables Pancakes

Yield: 12 3-inch Pancakes

Breakfast & Brunch Vegetarian

While we tell kids constantly to eat all their vegetables, we adults could use that reminder ourselves. These savory vegetable pancakes make both recommendations easy. They satisfy all eaters while clearing a few things out of the refrigerator—half a zucchini, a lone carrot, a pinch of chopped fresh herbs. Have some kale stems left over from a salad? Very finely chop a handful and toss them in. No one will suspect. But almost always include potatoes. You simply cannot go wrong with potatoes, fat, and salt.

  • 4 cups grated vegetables, such as russet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, or cabbage
  • 1⁄4 cup bread crumbs or flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, or rye)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil, for frying

Potatoes Carrots Zucchini Bread Crumbs Eggs Salt Black Pepper Olive Oil

  1. If using zucchini or potatoes, place them in the center of a thin dish towel. Roll up the towel and squeeze out the juice. Refrigerate or freeze the liquid for broth.
  2. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Stir in the bread crumbs, eggs, salt, and pepper to taste and combine well.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to coat it.
  4. For each pancake, drop 1/4 cup of the batter into the hot pan. With a spatula, flatten it down so it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Flip after the bottom has browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan once the other side has also browned, another 3 to 5 minutes.
  5. Add more oil to the pan as necessary and continue cooking the pancakes. Keep them warm in the oven all together, or serve individually at once.
  6. Serve with sour cream (see page 118), egg white aioli (page 127), or cilantro chutney (see page 184), if desired.