Grilled Zucchini

If you're looking for an easy, healthy summer side dish, look no further than grilled zucchini. It can be on the table in under 15 minutes and it goes with so many dishes.

Grilled Zucchini Recipe

All summer, I have been having so much fun with grilling at our new house. My kids love to play in the pool and I can grill dinner and keep an eye on them.

I've made Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Grilled Chicken Fajitas and Grilled Turkey Burgers multiple times, and they have been great additions to our summer meal plan.

Once I have decided on a good main dish, figuring out the side dishes is always the hardest part for me.

My friend grows zucchini in her garden and always shares some with me, and I'm always looking for new ways to cook it. (There's only so much zucchini bread one can take!)

Enter this grilled zucchini. It's an easy, healthy dish you can serve alongside just about anything.

Why you'll love this recipe

Once you know how to grill, you can grill anything, even vegetables like zucchini. Here's why I think you'll love this recipe.

• Zucchini is full of nutrients to help you round out your meal.
• This dish doesn't require any fancy seasonings or sauces.
• It can be cooked in less than 10 minutes on the grill.

Ingredients

Here’s what you will need to add to your shopping list to pick up at the grocery store:

• zucchini
• olive oil (or avocado oil)
• salt
• pepper

That’s it! This is a super simple recipe that is so full of flavor.

I recommend using sea salt or kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper for the most flavor.

If you like, you can also make grilled squash and zucchini at the same time. Just prepare the squash in the same way as the zucchini and cook them together in the grill basket.

How to season grilled zucchini

To season zucchini for grilling, here's what to do:

First, cut your zucchini. You can do either quarters lengthwise (pictured) or slices/circles.

Place the cut zucchini in a large bowl or on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Then toss to combine and make sure all the pieces are coated in the seasoning.

How to make grilled zucchini

Here's how to make zucchini on the grill:

1. Heat up your grill. Clean off the grates while the grill is hot with a grill brush.
2. Cut the zucchini into quarters, lengthwise. (You can also do slices if you prefer, but you'll need to use a grill basket.)
3. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Once the grill is hot, place the zucchini on the grill.
5. If you’re cooking meat at the same time, you may wish to place the zucchini on the edges so it can cook while your meat does.
6. Flipping occasionally to cook on all sides, cook until softened and charred.

Tips For Success

Clean off your grill grates with a grill brush while the grill is hot. Then use grill spray or half an onion to grease the grates and keep the veggies from sticking.

Make sure you use medium heat if you are cooking only the zucchini and no other dishes.

If you are cooking meat as well, cook the veggies on the edges of the grill away from the main source of the heat. This will use indirect heat to cook the zucchini, but it will take a little longer.

How long should zucchini be grilled?

Zucchini, cut into quarters lengthwise, takes about 10 minutes on the grill.

You can also dice it into large pieces or slice it, but you'll need to place these in a grill basket so they don't slip through the grates and burn. Smaller pieces will cook faster, about 7-8 minutes in the grill basket.

What to serve with grilled zucchini

Grilled zucchini goes with so many things!

It's a great side dish with grilled shrimp. Try it with marinated shrimp over a bowl of cauliflower rice for a healthy dinner.

Serve it with your favorite burger recipe or grilled steaks.

Add it to this tomato zucchini risotto, one of my favorite date night meals.

Stir it into minestrone soup or your favorite pasta dish.

Carve the zucchini into "boats" to make zucchini taco boats.