Quick Summary
Grilled Zucchini- an easy summer side dish that goes well with any meal! Plus, it’s a great healthy recipe for using up the abundant garden zucchini!
Do you have zucchini coming out of your ears? Every time I go out to our garden I end up bringing in a big handful of zucchinis. It is growing like crazy and I am having a hard time keeping up.
I have already made several loaves of zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, cake, brownies, zucchini pancakes, and the list goes on. If you are looking for lots of zucchini recipes, check out all of our zucchini recipes HERE!
One of my favorite zucchini recipes is Grilled Zucchini because it is so easy, healthy, and goes great with any meal! Plus, it only takes about 15 minutes to make!
You are going to make this easy vegetable side dish all summer long! Yay for zucchini!
Grilled Zucchini Ingredients
The ingredients are simple and the flavors are SO good! To make grilled zucchini, you will need:
- Zucchini– try to use small to medium size zucchini, not the huge overgrown zucchini. Smaller zucchinis have smaller seeds and are better for grilling .Save those big zucchinis with larger seeds for zucchini bread!
- Olive oil– for coating the zucchini so you can grill it to perfection!
- Lemon juice– I love adding a little fresh lemon juice, it really brightens up the dish.
- Garlic– garlic and zucchini are a match made in heaven!
- Parmesan cheese– I like to finish the grilled zucchini with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If you need the recipe to be vegan or dairy-free, you can skip this step.
- Basil– Garnish with fresh basil.
How to Make Grilled Zucchini
This is a super simple recipe and if you don’t have a grill, don’t worry, you can use an indoor grill pan to make the grilled zucchini.
- First, cut the ends of the zucchinis off. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut each half into spears.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
- Place the zucchini spears in a large bowl or in a large Ziploc bag. Pour the olive oil mixture over the zucchini. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Toss until zucchini spears are well coated. Let sit while you preheat the grill or grill pan.
- Remove the spears from the bowl or bag and place directly on the hot grill, cut side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the zucchini is tender and there are nice grill marks. Don’t over cook, you don’t want mushy zucchini!
- Transfer to a platter and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
- Pro tip-zucchini tends to get a little mushy as it sits and cools so make sue you serve it immediately.
Variations
If you want to play around with different flavors, here are a few ideas!
- If you want extra lemon flavor, add in lemon zest!
- Instead of using lemon, you can use balsamic vinegar.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat!
- You could drizzle the zucchini with a simple balsamic glaze or basil vinaigrette.
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts, chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts.
- Instead of Parmesan cheese, use crumbled feta or goat cheese.
- Mix up the herbs! Mint, chives, thyme, dill, or oregano are good options!
- Add grape or cherry tomatoes to the platter for a pop of color!
More Vegetable Recipes
- Roasted Vegetables
- Roasted Asparagus
- Summer Squash Sauté
- Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Green Beans
Grilled Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchinis
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Cut the ends of the zucchinis off. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut each half into spears.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
- Place the zucchini spears in a large bowl or in a large Ziploc bag. Pour the olive oil mixture over the zucchini. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Toss until zucchini spears are well coated. Let sit while you preheat the grill or grill pan.
- Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium high heat.
- Remove the spears from the bowl or bag and place directly on the hot grill, cut side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the zucchini is tender and there are nice grill marks.
- Transfer to a platter and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Photos by Olive & Mango
I thought these were ok, then once I added more parm and red pepper flakes, it got better. 4 stars. Next I’ll try some hot sauce. Thanks for the receipe.