26 Zucchini Recipes for Grilling, Frying, and More

Make the most of the summer squash with summery salads, bright soups, and more.

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on January 10, 2023

Blistered Summer Squash Salad — Photo:
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Summer is peak zucchini season, and there are so, so many ways to prepare it. You can grill it, of course — try pairing it with ricotta and pomegranate molasses — and bake it into delicious quickbreads. We also love turning it into silky soup, gratin, and crispy baked fries. Here are more than 20 zucchini recipes you'll want to make over and over again.

01 of 26

Prosciutto-Wrapped Baked Zucchini with Balsamic Drizzle

Prosciutto Wrapped Baked Zucchini with Balsamic Drizzle — Jen Causey

Wrapped in salty prosciutto and roasted until tender, this quick-and-easy zucchini recipe makes a light summer main dish. You can choose your own adventure here — prepare it in the oven, or fire up your grill for an extra layer of charred, smoky flavor. Don't forget to drizzle with balsamic glaze for a lightly sweet finish.

02 of 26

Crispy Chicken Thighs Over Melted Zucchini

Crispy Chicken Thighs over Melted Zucchini — Victor Protasio

"Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs start out in a skillet over medium heat so the fat slowly renders as the skin crisps up," cookbook author Ann Taylor Pittman writes. "And not one bit of that fat goes to waste; sweet onions and zucchini cook in it, soaking up all that good chicken-y flavor as they melt to an irresistibly silky texture."

03 of 26

Blistered Summer Squash Salad

Blistered Summer Squash Salad — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This dish features zucchini and yellow squash coins cooked in a hot cast-iron skillet until charred and finished with a smoky tomatillo sauce and a sprinkling of Cotija cheese. It’s smoky, bright, buttery, and briny all at once.

04 of 26

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries — Jen Causey

These baked zucchini fries satisfy the craving for golden, crispy French fries and help use up extra summer zucchini all at once. A quick dusting with flour followed by a dunk in beaten egg helps lock the panko-Parmesan coating in place during broiling, making these perfect for dipping.

05 of 26

Chilled Zucchini Soup

Chilled Zucchini Soup — Cedric Angeles

"This recipe came about as a happy accident, when my nephew mistook zucchini for cucumbers when we were making a cold cucumber soup," chef Vishwesh Bhatt says of the origins of this dish. More than a decade later, he stands by the result, which has a tangy buttermilk broth that gets subtle vegetal sweetness and a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture from the zucchini.

06 of 26

Spicy Tofu and Zucchini Stew

Spicy Tofu and Zucchini Stew — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Sommelier Annie Shi, co-owner of King in New York City, grew up going to Korean restaurants with her family. Memories of dishes like soondubu jjigae, a spicy Korean tofu stew, became inspiration for this quick and easy vegetable stew that she makes for cozy weeknight dinners.

07 of 26

Zucchini Breakfast Bread

Zucchini Breakfast Bread — Jen Causey

From the irresistibly crunchy turbinado sugar crust to the perfectly moist and tender crumb, this super-simple zucchini bread delivers maximum breakfast delight. Studded with pecans and oats and perfumed with orange zest, cinnamon, and allspice, it makes a terrific grab-and-go breakfast. If you want to treat yourself, do like we do: Slather a slice with butter and give it a quick toast in a skillet.

08 of 26

Fried Zucchini Chips

Fried Zucchini Chips — Con Poulos

These crispy fried zucchini chips are ridiculously good, especially alongside a glass of wine or a cocktail.

09 of 26

Spicy Eggplant and Zucchini Stir-Fry with Plant-Based Meat

Eggplant and Chili Garlic Stir-Fry with Plant-Based Meat — Photo by Ellen Mary Cronin / Food and prop styling by Radin+Croney Collective

Similar in texture to ground beef with a rich, meaty flavor, plant-based crumbles are a perfect addition to stir-fries. Here, the eggplant and zucchini cook quickly, absorbing plenty of flavor from the chile-garlic and soy sauces without getting overly tender. Fresh cilantro adds an extra pop of freshness to the finished stir-fry; serve over brown or white rice for an easy and filling weeknight meal.

10 of 26

Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata

Asparagus-and-Zucchini Frittata — © John Kernick

Chef Chris Behr's versatile frittata with crisp spring vegetables can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Serve for brunch with an accompanying platter of crusty bread, fresh fruit, cheese, and salumi, or for lunch with a green salad.

11 of 26

Smoky Baked Zucchini Chips with Whipped Feta

Smoky Baked Zucchini Chips with Whipped Feta — Jen Causey

Zucchini slices get unexpectedly crisp when they're baked for a long time at low heat. Za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend with sumac, sesame seeds, and other herbs, adds a nutty flavor, while Aleppo pepper provides a hit of fruity spice. A quick stir-together dip of salty feta and creamy labneh keeps it fresh.

12 of 26

Parmesan-Panko-Crusted Baked Zucchini

Parmesan-Panko-Crusted Baked Zucchini — Jen Causey

With plenty of cheesy, crispy flavor, this quick-cooking zucchini dish comes together in less than 30 minutes. Mild and tender zucchini are richly flavored with breadcrumbs and cheese for a dish worthy of a party — or just a one-pan weeknight dinner. Enjoy these crispy rounds as a side dish, or pair with your favorite dipping sauce for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.

13 of 26

Sheet-Pan Chicken with Zucchini and Garlicky Tomato Relish

Sheet Pan Chicken with Tomato Salsa Recipe — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

This all-in-one dinner starts out minimalist — just chicken pieces, zucchini, and shallot chunks tossed with the usual suspects (olive oil, salt, and pepper) before roasting. But as the chicken and vegetables brown beautifully in the oven, you make the most of your time, prepping an herb-packed, garlic-spiked cherry tomato relish. The final trick? Using that relish to deglaze the sheet pan after it comes out of the oven makes the most of the savory pan juices, blunting the bite of the vinegar and garlic and softening the tomatoes just enough to bloom all the flavors.

14 of 26

Zucchini, Corn, and Shrimp Flatbread

Zucchini, Corn, and Shrimp Flatbread — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Store-bought naan flatbreads get toasty on the grill, layered with mascarpone cheese, sweet shrimp, juicy corn, and tender ribbons of fresh zucchini. Don't skimp on the garnish of smoked paprika — it adds a dash of vibrant color and enhances the smoky flavor.

15 of 26

Socca with Zucchini and Olives

Socca with Zucchini and Olives — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Socca, also called farinata in Liguria, is a tender pancake made from chickpea flour. Unlike the versions in Nice, which are cooked in copper pans, this one is baked in a cast-iron skillet before it is topped with a summery marinated squash salad.

16 of 26

Soba and Zucchini Noodle Salad

Soba and Zucchini Salad with Gochujang Dressing — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This soba salad offers bracing heat that's most welcome on a hot day when the coldest beers are at hand. Tender buckwheat noodles and crispy strands of zucchini "noodles" soak up a pleasantly piquant dressing laced with both gochugaru and gochujang for a double hit of spicy Korean peppers mellowed by a touch of brown sugar.

17 of 26

Chocolate Chip-Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread — Photo by Adam Friedlander / Food Styling by Pearl Jones

This sweet quick bread is the perfect use for a bumper crop of summer zucchini. Sour cream keeps the bread super moist while mini bittersweet chocolate chips add chocolatey flavor without sinking in the batter.

18 of 26

Silky Zucchini Soup

© JONATHAN LOVEKIN

Chef Grant Achatz makes this simple, creamy, sublimely silky zucchini soup without any cream at all.

19 of 26

Grilled Zucchini with Ricotta and Pomegranate Molasses

Grilled Zucchini with Ricotta and Pomegranate Molasses — © Con Poulos

This fast, simple side dish by chef Timothy Hollingsworth goes perfectly with a fruit-forward Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc.

20 of 26

Summer Squash Gratin

Summer Squash Gratin — John Kernick

Recipe developer Laura Rege puts abundant summer squash and zucchini to good use in this beautiful and very simple gratin, which gets fantastic flavor from white wine, leeks, and Gruyère cheese.

21 of 26

Grilled Summer Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans

Grilled Summer Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans — Eva Kolenko

For grilled squash with a uniformly crisp texture, chef Vivian Howard cuts her squash lengthwise into quarters and then removes the seedy interior. This gorgeous summer salad is tossed with a bright, lemony dressing.

22 of 26

Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini Lasagna — Abby Hocking

Comforting and hearty, this lasagna uses roasted zucchini slices in place of the usual pasta. Roasting the zucchini preserves the texture of the vegetable and keeps the finished dish from becoming soggy.

23 of 26

Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese — Con Poulos

We take pasta salad to a new level with sweet grilled corn, zucchini, and a creamy lime dressing spiked with chile powder. Fresh cilantro adds brightness, then the whole salad gets topped with tangy slivers of fresh goat cheese.

24 of 26

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmigiano and Pistachios

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmigiano and Pistachios — © P-A Jorgensen

One of the wonderful things about winemaker Louis-Michel Liger-Belair's lemony salad is that it's so quick to make. Since the zucchini is served raw, be sure to use the smallest, freshest ones you can find. The salad can be garnished with pistachios, which add a little sweetness, or Italian pine nuts.

25 of 26

Two-Cheese Moussaka with Sautéed Mushrooms and Zucchini

Two-Cheese Moussaka with Sautéed Mushrooms and Zucchini — © Kirsten Strecker

This is the ultimate veggie casserole. It's layered with roasted zucchini, mushrooms, tomato sauce, feta, and provolone, then baked until golden. Try pairing it with a cherry-inflected or peppery Merlot.

26 of 26

Zucchini, Corn, Black Bean, and Jack Cheese Quesadillas

Zucchini, Corn, Black-Bean, and Jack-Cheese Quesadillas — © Bree Hester

The grated zucchini and defrosted frozen corn that fill these tasty quesadillas contain a lot of moisture. Drain them on paper towels for a few minutes before using; otherwise, you'll end up with soggy tortillas. Serve the quesadillas with spicy salsa.

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