Easy Sautéed Zucchini

This sautéed zucchini with dill is such a simple and easy side dish for summer meals. Six ingredients, 15 minutes, and it's ready. Great on its own, or serve with grilled chicken or fish.

By
Sheryl Julian
Sheryl Julian
Sheryl Julian
Sheryl Julian was the Food Editor, reporter, stylist, and recipe developer for The Boston Globe for 30 years. She teaches food journalism at Boston University in the Masters in Gastronomy program.
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Updated September 10, 2022
Sheryl Julian
A cast iron skillet with zucchini squash topped with dill.
Sheryl Julian

When the zucchini in your garden is still slender and about 7-inches long—before they get big as baseball bats—the seeds will be small and the flesh will be sweet.

Zucchini at this stage hardly needs any adornment. I like to cut my zucchini into thin coins and toss them in a hot skillet with some oil until they start to turn golden-brown. That's it!

With only six ingredients and about 15 minutes of your time, you have a beautiful vegetable dish for your summer table.

Sheryl Julian

How to Slice the Zucchini

I like to use a mandoline to slice the zucchini into thin, uniform circles, but you can also use a food processor with a slicing blade or your chef's knife. If the opening of your food processor is too small for whole zucchini, halve them lengthwise first to make half-coins.

I like to add fresh dill and lemon zest to my sauté. They add just the right aromatics to the zucchini.

Tips for the Best Zucchini

  • Use a large skillet: Not only does this let you fit more zucchini in the pan, but it means more pieces get contact time with the hot skillet. Contact time means browned, golden bits!
  • Cook in batches: This way you don't crowd the pan and your zucchini sears instead of steams.
  • Don't stir for the first few minutes: This lets the zucchini on the bottom become nicely browned.
  • Cook until crisp-tender: Try a round or two of zucchini as it cooks. It's ready when tender all the way through and no longer crunchy, but still with a bit of bite.

More Simple Zucchini Recipes!

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Easy Sautéed Zucchini

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings

You can halve this recipe if cooking for four or fewer people.

Ingredients

  • 6 medium zucchini (7-inches long, 2 1/2 pounds or 1.10 kg total)

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

  • Zest from one lemon

Method

  1. Prepare the zucchini:

    Cut away the stem from the zucchini and trim the bottom end. Slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds using a mandoline, food processor, or your very best knife skills.

    Zucchini sliced very thin for a sauteed zucchini recipe.
    Sheryl Julian
  2. Cook the zucchini in two batches:

    In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half the zucchini. Cook without stirring for 4 minutes, or until some of the rounds are golden when you lift them with a spatula.

    Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Turn and cook 2 minutes more without disturbing or until more rounds are brown. Do this two more times. Not all the rounds will be browned but a lot of them will be. Transfer to a bowl.

    Cook the second batch of zucchini with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of pepper in the same way. Return all the zucchini to the pan.

    Sliced zucchini in a cast iron skillet for a zucchini and squash recipe.
    Sheryl Julian
  3. Season the zucchini:

    Sprinkle the hot zucchini with the dill and lemon zest, and toss well. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

    Sauteed zucchini topped with dill for a dill recipe.
    Sheryl Julian
  4. Serve:

    This dish can be served hot or warm.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
119 Calories
8g Fat
15g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 119
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 139mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 73mg 365%
Calcium 53mg 4%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 559mg 12%
*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.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.