Although it's available year-round, the best time to enjoy zucchini is during the summer. When shopping for fresh zucchini at the grocery store or farmers market, choose squash that's firm, heavy for its size, and free of cuts or soft spots. The smaller the zucchini, the thinner and more tender the skin will be. Here's how to make quick sautéed zucchini, one of our favorite summer side dishes.
Tips for Making Sautéed Zucchini
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making sautéed zucchini at home.
- Be sure to thoroughly clean your zucchini before slicing it. There's no need to peel it; simply give it a good rinse under tap water. You can also eat zucchini raw if it is properly cleaned.
- Zucchini has a high water content and can easily become mushy when cooked. In the past, the technique of salting zucchini and pressing out the excess water helped zucchini retain texture during cooking. However, the Test Kitchen has found no noticeable texture difference when zucchini is salted and pressed.
- We prefer to use kosher salt because the larger granules are easier to evenly distribute over the zucchini.
- You can use plain olive oil to make this sautéed zucchini recipe, but we like to use garlic-infused oil. We'll walk you through how to cook garlic in oil to impart the most flavor.
- Cook the zucchini in a single layer so they brown rather than steaming.
- Top the sautéed zucchini with tender fresh herbs like basil, parsley, chives, or cilantro.
Ingredients
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1 pound zucchini, ends trimmed
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1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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2 clove cloves garlic
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2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Lemon wedges or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Directions
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Slice zucchini in half lengthwise, then crosswise in 1/2-inch thick slices. In a medium bowl toss zucchini with salt.
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In a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium. Add garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant and oil begins to sizzle, pressing down on garlic to release flavor. Discard garlic.
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Increase heat to medium-high; add zucchini, stirring to coat with oil. (Be careful; mixture may spatter.) Spread in a single layer. Cook, without stirring, about 3 minutes or until browned. Cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes more until just tender. Remove skillet from heat. Top with basil and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges or balsamic vinegar.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 51 | Calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 4g | Carbs |
| 1g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
| Calories 50.9 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 3.8g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat 0.6g | 3% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 82.5mg | 4% |
| Total Carbohydrate 4g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.3g | 5% |
| Total Sugars 2g | |
| Protein 1.5g | 3% |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C 15.3mg | 17% |
| Calcium 27.9mg | 2% |
| Iron 0.6mg | 3% |
| Potassium 317.1mg | 7% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0g | |
| Vitamin D 0IU | |
| Alanine 0g | |
| Arginine 0g | |
| Ash 0.9g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.1g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0.1mcg | |
| Choline, total 11.2mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.1mg | |
| Cystine 0g | |
| Energy 214.6kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 0.2mcg | |
| Folate, total 32.6mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 0.1g | |
| Glycine 0g | |
| Histidine 0g | |
| Isoleucine 0g | |
| Leucine 0.1g | |
| Lysine 0g | |
| Methionine 0g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 23.7mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.3mg | |
| Niacin 0.6mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 45.9mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.3mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0g | |
| Phytosterols 8.1mg | |
| Proline 0g | |
| Retinol 0mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 0.5mcg | |
| Serine 0g | |
| Starch 0g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.6mg | |
| Tryptophan 0g | |
| Tyrosine 0g | |
| Valine 0g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 1325.1IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 66.4mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.1mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 12.2mcg | |
| Water 109.9g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.4mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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