Pan roasted zucchini is one of my favorite things to make. It’s one of those recipes that requires some time and practice to get right. You have to be patient and SLOWLY roast the summer squash, and I mean SLOW! The end result is a creamy and caramelized zucchini that is sweet and the perfect way to enjoy this summer vegetable. Top it off with lots of tasty micro greens and a simple tomato salad, and you have an amazing side dish to impress friends with at your next barbecue!
The first step in making this zucchini is good quality olive oil, lots of salt and pepper, and just a bit of patience. Adding a fair amount of oil to the pan helps to prevent burning of the zucchini, but make sure the pan stays on medium heat. Cut the zucchini in half length wise and cut into 3″ pieces.
This pan roasted zucchini should take a good 8-10 minutes to cook on the flat side. The color should be a really nice dark brown and when you press the flesh, it should be nice and soft. The smell of olive oil and caramelized squash will waft through your kitchen. You’re going to like this recipe.
Everything about this recipe is so fresh. I purchased beautifully ripe multi colored grape tomatoes, halved them, and mixed them with diced onion, fresh basil, and sweet balsamic. Heather also sent me some info for a great company that is local here in Airdrie that grows and sells their own micro greens. The companies name is Micro Acres and they delivered these tasty greens right to my door. They are a fairly new company, but I love what they are doing. I received radish greens pea shoots, a broccoli mix and arugula. They are nice and peppery!
Chef’s love micro greens. They are the perfect thing to make a plate look that much prettier, and we generally tend to charge more. Haha….don’t tell anyone our little secret! They do add a lot of color and texture to this pan roasted zucchini recipe. So fresh!
- 3 zucchini, halved lengthwise, cut into 3" chunks
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup chiffonade basil
- 1 cup micro greens
- salt and pepper to taste
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Heat up a pan and add in the olive oil, keep the heat on medium. High heat can burn the squash.
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Season the zucchini with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and add flat side down. Cook for 8 minutes until dark brown and well caramelized. Keep an eye on it and flip when necessary. The zucchini should be nice and soft, almost scoop able
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Mix together the ingredients for the tomato salad and serve on top of the pan roasted zucchini. Serve
Serve this zucchini with my tasty BBQ ribs recipe
this looks super fresh, easy, and yummy. I will definitely try it out!
Thanks Caroline let me know what you think!
Chefmatt, do you serve the zucchini hot or cold? I’m thinking in my summer menu and this sounds delicious. I just would like to prep it in advance.
Hi Ingrid! I served the zucchini warm, but either way will work fine! 🙂 Let me know what you think!