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Sauteed zucchini on a beige plate.
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Sautéed Zucchini (Garlic Lemon Parmesan Zucchini)

Prep Time6 minutes
Cook Time6 minutes
Total Time12 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 lb (450g) zucchini 1 large
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon basil
  • pinch of red chili flakes
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Prepare the ingredients: cut the zucchini into thick, at least 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) slices (don't slice it too thin!) or half circles (depending on the size of the zucchini). Finely chop garlic with a knife (and not a garlic press). Zest the lemon (preferably on a Microplane).
  • Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. When hot add the zucchini in a single layer (if it doesn't fit in a single layer it can overlap a little bit but you shouldn't have multiple layers).
  • Cook until browned at the bottom then turn over and cook until the other side is browned making sure it's still crunchy and not too soft.
  • Add the garlic, chili flakes, and lemon zest to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds over lowest heat or until the garlic is fragrant. Make sure to not burn the garlic.
  • Season the zucchini with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  • Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with finely grated cheese (preferably on a Microplane).
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • The most important tip for this recipe: cut zucchini into thick slices and cook over medium-high or high heat until well-browned. It should still be crunchy and not too soft.
  • If your zucchini is not browning uniformly - for example if the zucchini in the middle is already browned but the zucchini on the outside of the pan is still pale and raw, remove the browned zucchini to a plate and finish cooking pale zucchini in the middle of the pan. If you're doubling the recipe and have more zucchini to cook, then either cook it in batches or use high smoke point vegetable oil for frying and cook the zucchini over very high heat so that it can brown and not steam (if there is a lot of zucchini in a pan and it's overcrowded then it will start to steam instead of getting brown, the browning on the zucchini is where the flavor is). You can cook the zucchini with butter and olive oil only over medium to medium-high heat, otherwise it will burn.
  • Don't salt zucchini at the beginning - it will release moisture and prevent browning, season it will salt only at the end.
  • Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe) - side dish portion size. This is only an estimate!

Nutrition

Calories: 86kcal