This sauteed zucchini recipe comes out completely tender each time! In simply 10 minutes you may make this bland veggie right into a scrumptious healthy facet dish.
To be sincere, zucchini wasn’t my favourite vegetable rising up: I assumed it was bland, watery, and admittedly, fairly boring. But all that modified when my mother discovered a scrumptious sautéed zucchini recipe with Parmesan that the entire household truly ate.
Here I’ve recreated her recipe, with just a few small tweaks—and I discover myself sneaking bites straight from the pan each time I make it! In simply 10 minutes, you may make the common-or-garden zucchini into one thing truly irresistible: tender, golden, and bursting with savory taste.
Ingredients for the proper sauteed zucchini
After years of experimenting with completely different zucchini cooking strategies, I’ve discovered that sautéing is among the greatest methods to cook dinner it. (Well, exterior of utilizing it in chocolate zucchini bread.) The key’s utilizing excessive warmth to rapidly cook dinner the zucchini whereas making a golden-brown exterior that locks in taste.
This recipe steals a little bit of what I bear in mind from my mother’s recipe: particularly oregano and Parmesan. The end result? Zucchini that’s tender however not mushy, flavorful however not overwhelming, Here’s what you want for this recipe:
- Zucchini: Use small to medium to get the best-looking rounds, however you can even use giant if it’s all you could have. (If you could have a type of huge summer season zucchini, minimize the slices into half circles.)
- Olive oil or butter: Make it vegan with oil, or use butter for intense savory taste.
- Garlic powder and onion powder: You may additionally use a diced onion and recent garlic in case you desire, however utilizing dried retains the recipe quick and candy.
- Oregano: This is my secret weapon! I take advantage of dried oregano for constant taste, however recent works too.
- Parmesan cheese: While non-obligatory, this provides an unbelievable savory depth that makes the dish really feel extra substantial. I take advantage of freshly grated for one of the best taste.
Featured 5 star evaluate
“This turned out nice! Zero leftovers!” -Amy
How to sauté zucchini: just a few suggestions
Making sauteed zucchini is simple, and takes solely 10 minutes in a sizzling pan. You do must babysit the pan for your complete time, since you’ll need to be sure the layers of rounds cook dinner evenly. Here’s what to know:
- Use your largest skillet. Even in your largest skillet, the zucchini should be stacked in just a few layers when cooking.
- Continue to maneuver zucchini to the underside of the pan as you cook dinner. The zucchini on the backside of the pan cooks the quickest and can brown rapidly. Because there are layers of zucchini, proceed to flip and transfer rounds to the underside of pan to allow them to brown evenly.
- Cover within the first 2 minutes. Covering the pan helps to steam your complete pan and cook dinner the zucchini on the highest layer similtaneously the underside layer. You’ll simply do that for a couple of minutes at first, then do a conventional sauté for the remaining time.
Ways to serve sauteed zucchini
Once you’ve sauteed it up, add that Parmesan cheese and a bit chopped basil in case you like. It makes a surprising facet dish that goes with absolutely anything: particularly in the summertime! Here are just a few concepts:
Storage and reheating directions
Leftover sautéed zucchini retains within the fridge for as much as 3 days in an hermetic container. I reheat it gently in a skillet over medium warmth for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. The microwave works in a pinch, however the skillet technique helps keep one of the best texture.
While the zucchini received’t be fairly as crisp as when freshly made, it’s nonetheless scrumptious and works splendidly blended into scrambled eggs or vegetarian frittatas.
Dietary notes
This sauteed zucchini recipe is vegetarian and dairy-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the Parmesan cheese.
Perfect Sauteed Zucchini
This sauteed zucchini recipe comes out completely tender each time! In simply 10 minutes you may make this bland veggie right into a scrumptious healthy facet dish.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: quarter-hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Sauteed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
- 1 3/4 kilos zucchini (2 medium giant or 3 to 4 small)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (non-obligatory)
- Finely chopped recent basil, if desired (non-obligatory)
- Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
- In your largest skillet, warmth the olive oil or butter over medium excessive warmth. Add the zucchini slices, then stir within the garlic powder, oregano, and salt, flipping and stirring to get all of the slices coated.
- Cover the skillet and cook dinner for 1 minute, then uncover and stir. Cover once more for 1 minute and uncover and stir, transferring slices to the underside layer as vital in order that they’ll get browned.
- Keep the pan uncovered and cook dinner about 6 to eight extra minutes till many of the zucchini are tender and browned, persevering with to flip the zucchini and transfer them to the underside layer so that they cook dinner evenly.
- Serve instantly, topped with Parmesan cheese and recent basil if desired.
Other zucchini recipes you’ll love
If you like this sautéed zucchini as a lot as I do, listed below are extra of my favourite methods to make use of up summer season’s zucchini bounty:
Main dishes: Try stuffed zucchini boats stuffed with herbs and cheese, or creamy zucchini pasta for a lightweight however satisfying dinner. Zucchini lasagna is ideal for feeding a crowd.
Baked: Baked zucchini with breadcrumbs and Parmesan is equally scrumptious, and roasted zucchini and squash makes a wonderful sheet pan facet.
Sweet treats: Easy zucchini bread and zucchini muffins are good for utilizing bigger zucchini, whereas chocolate zucchini cake is a crowd-pleasing dessert.
Fresh: Zucchini ribbon salad is gorgeous for entertaining, and grilled zucchini is ideal for outside cooking.