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Transform summer squash into a versatile, easy side dish recipe or meal prep menu addition with my guide for how to make Roasted Zucchini. This easy zucchini recipe is crispy, garlic-infused, and oven-ready after just 5 minutes of prep time.
Come summer, grilling gets all the glory. But as a busy mom who often is on kid duty (and also prefers to hide out from the heat on the most scorching days of the season), I swear by roasting vegetables in summer, too.
This technique really comes in handy when my favorite produce surplus season delivers in full glory. If you, too, have experienced zucchini-paloozas of the Midwest, you know June through August means a bounty of squash; from mini to baseball bat-sized, in gardens, farmers markets, and supermarkets galore.
Come prime zucchini time, I like to turn to this easy-prep side dish idea to make the most of this healthy, low-carb summer vegetable. (By the way, zucchini is a member of the summer squash family, alongside pattypan, yellow squash, and crookneck. You can use any one or a mix of your favorite summer squash for this method.)
Table of Contents
What you’ll need to make Oven Roasted Zucchini
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Zucchini: Any summer squash, including yellow summer squash or pattypan, also works. Slice any or a mix of these tender squash varieties into 1-inch pieces and you’re good to go. This recipe also works for zucchini spears.
How to Roast Zucchini
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. In a large bowl, add zucchini, olive oil, garlic, and salt to taste and pepper (I like at least ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; sometimes I do a little more).
- Toss to coat and transfer to prepared sheet pan, arranging the zucchini in a single layer as much as possible.
- Roast until zucchini pieces are tender-crisp and browning around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
How to chop vegetables fast
To chop zucchini fast, I use the Norpro Big Mouth Chopper. It comes with 3 blades to get different sizes of uniform chops, and everything falls into the container below. It’s my favorite salad chopper and is $32.35 at Amazon!
Roasted Zucchini Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups of roasted zucchini, enough for eight 1-cup side dish servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Add extra roasted zucchini to omelets, scrambled eggs, and your meal prep containers.
- Make ahead: Chop the zucchini up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roast.
- Spice things up: I love the simplicity and versatility of cooking peak-season zucchini with just garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. But if you want to add more personality, consider sprinkling or drizzling one of these flavor-boosters on top before cooking: Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and balsamic glaze.
- Dress it up: Drizzle the roasted zucchini with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with your favorite fresh herbs and some grated Parmesan cheese.
- Zucchini noodles: Have extra zucchini on hand? Grab your favorite spiralizer and make zoodles. They are so delicious with Homemade Meat Sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keeping the veggies as dry as possible is key. After you rinse your vegetables, pat them dry or allow them to air dry before they go into the oven. More moisture = more steam = less toasty crisp bits.
Crowded vegetables can also generate steam, which prevents them from getting toasty. The baking sheet surface in contact with the zucchini is what gives the roasted vegetables their craveable brown, crunchy bits.
Salting zucchini will absolutely remove excess water and lead to better results if you are roasting at lower temperatures. This happens if you need to share the oven with another dish, it’s the middle of summer and you can’t swing 450 degrees, or you are roasting the zucchini in conjunction with more delicate vegetables.
But if you can roast your zucchini at 450 degrees, salting and waiting for the excess water to drain isn’t necessary. I put this method to the test in my Ratatouille Recipe where I roasted eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers together without salting anything. The vegetables roast up dry and almost spongy – perfect for rehydrating in the homemade Ratatouille tomato sauce. Sometimes there is simply no need to salt your watery vegetables.
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Roasted Zucchini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds zucchini quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced, or 1 1/4-teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- In a large bowl, add zucchini, olive oil, garlic, and salt to taste and pepper (I like at least ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; sometimes I do a little more).
- Toss to coat and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast until zucchini pieces are tender-crisp and browning around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Zucchini: Any summer squash, including yellow summer squash or pattypan, also works. Slice any or a mix of these tender squash varieties into 1-inch pieces and you’re good to go.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups of roasted zucchini, enough for eight 1-cup side dish servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Add extra roasted zucchini to omelets, scrambled eggs, and your meal prep containers.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.