Sautéed Zucchini

Quick and easy sautéed zucchini with garlic, butter, and fresh herbs is the perfect summer side dish!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword sauteed zucchini

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 7

Total Time 17

Servings people

Calories 61kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 lb. zucchini (about 2 medium), thinly sliced into rounds, half-moons, or triangles
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, basil, thyme, chives, or parsley (or about ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed, dried basil, dried thyme, dried parsley, or dried chives)
½ teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Optional garnish: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese; crushed red pepper flakes

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add zucchini, and continue to cook until tender, about 5-7 more minutes.
Stir in herbs and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Use the largest skillet you have. You're cooking a lot of vegetables here, so you want to be able to spread them out as much as possible. This allows the zucchini to cook evenly and get nicely browned instead of steaming.
Do not peel the zucchini. The peel is very thin, so there's no need to remove it before cooking. It also helps the zucchini stay together, prevents it from becoming mushy, and adds a bit of texture to the dish.
Season at the end. Wait to add the salt until you're done cooking the zucchini. If you add salt at the beginning, it draws moisture out of the vegetables and results in a mushier texture.
Don't overcook the zucchini or it will lose that nice crisp-tender texture and will fall apart in the pan.
For a stronger lemon flavor, add grated lemon zest to the skillet in addition to the lemon juice.