This Easy Sautéed Lemon Herb Zucchini is a super flavorful way to use up lots of zucchini. It’s packed with flavor thanks to the garlic, chopped thyme and a touch of lemon all topped off with a touch of crunchy pine nuts.
We’re continuing with the side dishes again this week with another easy, flavorful recipe! With the abundance of summer zucchini right around the corner, I’m already thinking of ways to use up what’s coming.
Every year, I over plant zucchini in the garden, but I haven’t regretted it yet! We make a lot of zucchini noodles year round, but especially during the summer months (my favorite recipe is these Kung Pao Chicken Zucchini Noodles).
I also love to grill and serve it alongside all sorts of things like this Balsamic Grilled Chicken Topped with Caprese Salad. And of course there’s one of our all time favorites, Zucchini Fritters with Avocado Crema.
But it’s only been recently I’ve gotten into sautéing zucchini, which has been a fun new way to put veggies on the table. Even though zucchini is primarily a summer veggie, it’s reasonably priced, and even quite cheap some weeks throughout the winter. It makes a great all around veggie, and since it’s very mild, it’s easy to dress it up with bold flavors.
For this dish, I kept it simple with dried thyme, but feel free to use fresh herbs if you have them around. Chopped fresh basil is so good subbed in for the thyme, and I pretty much always default to basil during the summer. It’s my favorite herb, so I tend to go overboard when it’s abundant.
Let’s talk about how to make this Easy Sautéed Lemon Herb Zucchini!
For the zucchini, chop it however is easiest for you, keeping it to bite sized pieces. I like to cut mine into quarters lengthwise, and then slice it into thin triangular pieces.
From there, it gets a brief sauté, and then you finish it with a bit of lemon juice which adds a bright fresh flavor. Pine nuts are a favorite of mine with zucchini, but you can also use toasted sliced/or slivered almonds, and cashews would be good as well.
Serve this with any simple main dish like my Easy Herb Roasted Chicken or Tuscan Style Steak to keep things nice and easy.
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Easy Sautéed Lemon Herb Zucchini
- Total Time: 18 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Easy Sautéed Lemon Herb Zucchini is a super flavorful way to use up lots of zucchini. It’s packed with flavor thanks to the garlic, chopped thyme and a touch of lemon all topped off with a touch of crunchy pine nuts.
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini, 1 1/2 pounds
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 Teaspoon dried thyme
1 Teaspoon lemon zest, see notes
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Instructions
Remove both ends from the zucchini, and cut them into quarters lengthwise. Lay the quarters flat side down on a cutting board, and slice crosswise into thin triangular pieces.
Set a 8-9″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the olive oil, garlic, and lemon zest. Sauté stirring until it’s fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Then add the sliced zucchini, and continue to sauté stirring as it browns. Cook until crisp tender, 6-8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and stir in the fresh lemon juice.
Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top, and serve immediately.
Notes
I like to use a microplane grater for lemon zest because it melts into the dish rather than bigger graters that leave chewy pieces of zest in the final dish.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pan Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Pan Fried Lemon Zucchini, Pan Fried Zucchini with Herbs, Zucchini with Lemon and Garlic
Yummy! These are what real food dreams are made of, gifts from Mother Nature in the form of veggies.
★★★★★
Thanks so much!
This looks so amazing! The pine nuts provide this awesome textural difference that is so needed.
★★★★★
I think that’s why I love them in this so much, zucchini is soft so the pine nuts add a lot of nice crunch!
The color of this dish is amazing and I suspect the taste is just as incredible.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, we’ve really been loving it!
I love super simple but beautifully flavourful dishes like this, gorgeous.
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Me too, super simple is always best!
Love making simple side dishes like this! And zucchini is sooo good with pine nuts too!
They really have a flavor affinity!
This sounds delicious! Zucchini is a big time favorite in my home, my youngest LOVES it. I don’t think I’ve ever added lemon to it like this before, I’m going to have to try this next time because it sounds so good.
Zucchini is a favorite of ours too, and I really hope you enjoy the addition of lemon!