9 Creative Ways To Cook With Zucchini

Whether you’re home-growing zucchini in your backyard or simply cruising the summertime farmers’ market stands, you’re likely faced with a question: How do I cook zucchini in a new way? Sure, you can cut it into rounds and roast them or simply sauté half-moons of zucchini, but it can all get a bit, dare we say, boring. However, that doesn’t need to be the case! There are so many ways to transform zucchini into a meal, from blending it into soup, making a grilled side salad, or stuffing them for an easy dinner. It’s a rare vegetable that is at home in so many preparations. So, this year, when faced with a glut of summer zucchini, rest assured that there are as many ways to cook it as there are days in the season.

If you’re wondering what the difference is between zucchini and summer squash, the answer is not much, beyond the color. You can use long, skinny, green zucchini or yellow summer squash interchangeably. 

9 CREATIVE WAYS TO COOK WITH ZUCCHINI

ZUCCHINI ON THE GRILL

Zucchini is one of those vegetables that takes naturally to the grill. As a relatively blank palate, zucchini benefits from the smoke and char imparted by a hot grill, and is relatively quick to cook. Here are some ideas for grilling zucchini:

• A Greek-inspired side: Of the foods that go best with grilled zucchini, shrimp might be at the top of the list. In our recipe for Greek Grilled Shrimp with Feta-Tzatziki, you’ll toss half-moons of zucchini in your Hybrid BBQ Grill Pan until lightly charred before doing the same with marinated shrimp. These get served with a feta-enriched tzatziki for a quick and easy meal that makes the  most of the grill while still tasting fresh.
• A grilled zucchini salad: The Hybrid BBQ Grill Pan does wonders for coins of zucchini in Warm Grilled Zucchini, Feta, & Basil Salad, which you’ll toss with capers, basils, pistachios, and ricotta salata for side that pairs well with nearly any protein–salmon, sausage, steak, and chicken all come to mind.
• Easy grilled planks: One of the few veg that doesn’t slide easily through the grates, planks or halved zucchini can be oiled and placed directly on the heated grill to cook until tender and charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

ZUCCHINI IN THE OVEN

The oven is the place to go if you want to cook stuffed zucchini, a zucchini casserole, or roasted zucchini that turns meltingly tender in the oven. Here are some ways to cook zucchini in the oven:

• Melty zucchini coins: Cut zucchini into 2-inch chunks and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut side-down on a rimmed baking sheet at least 2-inches apart and roast in a 375ºF oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and extremely tender. Serve tossed with arugula, burrata, toasted almonds, and chopped Castelvetrano olives for an easy dinner salad.

• Stuffed zucchini boats: Yes, it may be retro, but we’re here to make a case for bringing back stuffed zucchini for dinner. The vegetable makes the perfect vessel for a mixture of sausage, shallots, and garlic, as in this recipe for Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Sausage from The Kitchen.

ZUCCHINI ON THE STOVETOP

Cooking zucchini on the stovetop requires a little patience—in order to avoid it getting limp or watery, you want to use enough oil and salt to draw out the water and caramelize the zucchini. Giving it a bit of space in the pan is useful, too.

• Zucchini in pasta: Sautéed zucchini is quick, flavorful, and adds body to pasta, whether it’s creamy One Pot Ricotta Pasta with Corn, Lemon, & Basil or spicy Tteokbokki Mafaldine. 

• Zucchini kabobs: Zucchini is sturdy enough to thread onto stainless steel skewers to make Vegetable Kabobs with Aleppo-Lemon Butter, which feature a medley of veg. Of course, you could use the same method for just zucchini, too.

RAW ZUCCHINI

Perhaps the perfect way to use up zucchini in the summertime is raw. We won’t try to convince you to get into zoodles, but instead make the case for blending zucchini into soup or shaving it into a salad. Here are ideas for raw zucchini:

• Creamy Zucchini-Yogurt Soup: Zucchini offers a silky upgrade to a classic summer cucumber soup. Blend 2 zucchini with 3 cucumbers, a small bunch of scallions, ½ cup Greek yogurt, ¾ cup olive oil, ½ cup fresh basil, and ¼ cup lemon juice for an easy, refreshing soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with more yogurt, basil, olive oil, and freshly ground salt and pepper.

• Shaved zucchini salad: Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to make fat ribbons of zucchini. Toss them with olive oil, sherry vinegar, shaved parmesan, chopped fresh mint, toasted pine nuts, and a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper for an easy salad.