Our Best Zucchini Recipes

Pizza with Ricotta, Zucchini and Mint

The bright, summery flavors of this pizza are a nice change from rich, cheesy, tomatoey pies. Be sure to choose medium-sized zucchini or summer squash—that is, one that weighs no more than about 8 ounces. Its texture will be more tender and its core w

By Courtney HillSeptember 11, 2024

Antipasto-Style Zucchini and Cauliflower Salad

Stop steaming your cauliflower! Thinly sliced and boldly marinated, it’s amazing raw in this salad inspired by Italian antipasto. The cauliflower brings crisp texture as well as a subtle sweetness that combines well with thinly sliced raw zucchini. If

By Courtney HillMarch 26, 2025

Marinated Zucchini with Garlic and Herbs (Concia di Zucchine)

Marinated zucchini, or concia di zucchine (sometimes shortened to concia), is a classic dish in cucina ebraica romana, or Jewish-Roman cuisine. Concia translates as "tanning" (as in the tanning of leather) but in her book "Portico," Leah Koenig explai

By Rose HattabaughFebruary 4, 2025

Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Frittata with Feta and Herbs

A frittata is one of the simplest meals you can make, and one of the most variable. You can add just about any type of vegetable, but when using moisture-rich vegetables, such as the zucchini and tomatoes in this version, it’s key to precook them to s

By Hisham Ali HassanJuly 13, 2026

Zucchini Bread with Orange Zest and Chocolate Chunks

Unlike the basic (and often boring) zucchini bread, this quick bread is saturated with citrusy orange flavor thanks to a simple step of rubbing orange zest into the sugar. This draws out the zest’s essential oils and evenly distributes them for bright

Charred Zucchini Dip with Tahini and Lemon

This velvety, creamy-charred dip is a relative of the better-known baba ghanoush.

By Hisham Ali HassanJune 25, 2024

Penne Carbonara with Zucchini

Traditionally made with eggs, cured pork, hard cheese and plenty of pepper, carbonara is classic Italian comfort fare. For a lighter, equally delicious version, we’ve replaced the pancetta or guanciale typically used with zucchini (or yellow summer sq

By Malcolm JacksonOctober 17, 2023

Grilled Zucchini with Lemony Ricotta

The contrast of silky grilled zucchini, creamy ricotta and crunchy nuts provides this dish with satisfying textural complexity. We incorporate lemon two ways, stirring the zest into the ricotta and grilling the halved fruit to bring out a gentler acid

By Laura RussellOctober 17, 2023

Lemon-Miso Stir-Fried Zucchini

From zucchini to pattypan, summer squash has a reputation for being bland and uninteresting. To combat this, we brown summer squash quickly over high-heat, facilitating caramelization, then toss it with a light and zingy sauce. Miso contributes salty-

By Courtney HillOctober 17, 2023

Stir-Fried Zucchini and Kimchi Rice Bowls

Korean bibimbap, a meal-in-a-bowl of rice topped with various vegetables plus meat and/or seafood, then finished with an egg, gave us the idea for these rice bowls. Stir-fried zucchini is tender but almost meaty in texture, and kimchi brings a jolt of

By Courtney HillOctober 17, 2023

Zucchini Carbonara

Is it possible to get a vegetarian carbonara that’s still meaty and rich? Yes—with the added benefit of garden freshness.

By Rose HattabaughJune 22, 2023

Farfalle with Zucchini, Pecorino and Basil

This buttery dish features pan-fried zucchini bites and a generous heap of Pecorino romano, plus pistachios for a delightful crunch!

By Dimitri DemopolousApril 25, 2023

Zucchini with Tomato, Pearl Couscous and Mint

In this dish, tender, silky slices of zucchini (and/or yellow summer squash) find a delicious partner in satisfyingly chewy pearl couscous coated with a mixture of well browned tomato paste and garlic. Caramelizing the paste enhances its umami and sav

By Elizabeth MindreauDecember 6, 2021

Mexican-Style Zucchini and Corn (Calabacitas)

“This piqued my interest as a way to use a glut of zucchini in our garden, and has quickly become one of our favorite recipes,” a reader writes.

By Calvin CoxSeptember 7, 2021

Zucchini and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Yogurt

This crisp, creamy chickpea-zucchini salad is why salads deserve main course attention.

By Elizabeth MindreauOctober 29, 2021

Charred Zucchini with Gochujang and Scallions

Inspired by Korean side dish hobak muchim, we broil zucchini until deeply charred, then toss with a funky, fermented gochujang-based dressing.

By Calvin CoxNovember 23, 2021

Spicy Korean-Style Shrimp with Zucchini and Scallions

Ojingeo bokkeum is a Korean stir-fry of squid, and sometimes vegetables, with a garlicky, umami-loaded, savory-sweet, gochujang-based sauce. For our adaptation of the dish, we replaced the squid with plump, briny shrimp and included carrots, scallions

By Courtney HillApril 27, 2022

Zucchini with Garlic and Olive Oil (Calabacines al Ajillo)

Spanish gambas al ajillo—shrimp cooked with generous amounts of garlic and olive oil—is a popular tapa, but the “al ajillo” technique isn’t strictly for shrimp. It can be employed with a number of different ingredients, including vegetables. Here we u

By Courtney HillApril 22, 2022

Pasta with Pecorino-Zucchini Sauce and Basil

This velvety sauce of pureed zucchini comes from Italy’s Amalfi Coast, where we were served some of the most beautiful pasta dishes of our lives—elegantly simple, all about fresh ingredients.

By Rose HattabaughFebruary 1, 2023

Zucchini and Green Chili Soup

This soup gets cream-free creaminess from a velvety puree of cooked zucchini, a tender poblano pepper, and nutty pumpkin seeds.

By Courtney HillNovember 5, 2021

Shaved Zucchini and Herb Salad with Parmesan

Raw zucchini gets the spotlight it deserves in this elegant, nuanced salad with handfuls of herbs, crunchy hazelnuts and plenty of Parmesan.

Zucchini Salad with Lemon, Herbs and Ricotta

At Masseria Potenti, in Puglia, Italy, we tasted a memorable starter comprised of long, thin slices of fresh zucchini rolled around a lemony ricotta filling and dipped, cannoli-like, into sesame and poppy seeds. This summery salad is our deconstructed

By Courtney HillJune 8, 2020

Baked Zucchini and Gruyère Omelet

This baked zucchini omelet is what Australians refer to as a “slice.” Flour and leavener give the eggs sturdiness and a little lift so the finished texture is firm and sliceable. Made with fresh chives (or scallions) and (optional) ham, our recipe com

By Courtney HillDecember 9, 2021

Baked Zucchini Fritters with Feta-Yogurt Sauce

The perfect vehicle for yogurt dip: zucchini fritters with a light and crispy Panko coating.

Tomato-Zucchini Tart with Za’atar and Feta

Frozen puff pastry sheets make this elegant and impressive vegetable tart easy to pull together. We use za’atar, a Middle Eastern herb blend, to add a perfect flavor accent for the vegetables. Poking holes in the rolled-out pastry helps it rise evenly

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Omelet

In this simple omelet, lightly caramelized shallots and tender sautéed zucchini pair nicely with creamy, tangy fresh goat cheese. Rather than sprinkle crumbled goat cheese into the omelet, we mix it into the still-hot shallot-zucchini sauté so the che

Creamy Zucchini and Pumpkin Seed Soup

In Zagreb, Croatia, we learned to make this soup, called krem juha od tikvica sa bučinim košticama. “Krem” means cream, but the soup has no dairy in it. Instead, it gets its richness from toasted pumpkin seeds that are simmered then pureed with tender

By Diane UngerAugust 10, 2020

Charred Zucchini and Tahini Dip

This creamy dip, a variation on baba ghanoush, uses zucchini as its base instead of eggplant. The mild, subtle flavor of the summer squash benefits greatly from deep charring (we use the broiler), a dose of garlic and a hit of lemon juice. Once tender

By Calvin CoxSeptember 17, 2021

Zucchini and Saffron Risotto

Risotto often is considered a time- and labor-intensive dish, but made using a simplified technique we learned in Milan, Italy, the rich, creamy rice can be on the table in under 45 minutes. This vegetarian risotto, a riff on a recipe from “Rachel Ray

By Courtney HillApril 6, 2021

Charred Zucchini and Fennel with Shaved Parmesan

Zucchini and fennel are subtly sweet vegetables that benefit from a good charring over high heat, which introduces some welcome complexity and bitterness. We found the heat of the broiler worked well. Be sure to set a rack as close as possible to the

By Calvin CoxNovember 19, 2021

Roasted Potatoes and Zucchini with Tomatoes and Feta

The Greek dish called briam is a medley of vegetables roasted with a generous amount of olive oil. This recipe is a twist on classic briam—it roasts sliced potatoes, zucchini and onion on a baking sheet, then finishes them with fresh tomatoes, herbs a

By Elizabeth MindreauDecember 10, 2021

Ziti with Zucchini, Basil and Walnut Pesto

Raw zucchini makes a fresh, clean and subtly sweet base for intense garlic, basil, and peppers.

By Rose HattabaughAugust 9, 2021

Shrimp, Orzo and Zucchini with Ouzo and Mint

In her acclaimed cookbook “Aegean,” Crete-born London chef Marianna Leivaditaki coaxes orzo pasta to a rich, creamy texture, as if making risotto. A fragrant broth of brandy, aromatic vegetables and shrimp shells is the cooking liquid for the orzo, in

By Courtney HillApril 9, 2021

Zucchini with Lemon, Za’atar and Tahini Yogurt

Silky, supple broiled zucchini slices are paired with tangy, tahini-enriched yogurt and finished with toasted walnuts for this simple side or starter. Bracing lemon, both zest and juice, along with pungent garlic, za’atar (a Levantine spice, seed and

By Rose HattabaughSeptember 17, 2021

Shaved Zucchini and Chicken Salad with Lemon and Almonds

This light, bright chicken salad—inspired by one from Milan, Italy—is packed with zucchini ribbons and almonds, and a simple, clean dressing.

By Rose HattabaughDecember 14, 2020

Spanish Ratatouille (Pisto Manchego)

Pisto Manchego, or Spain’s answer to ratatouille, is a colorful collection of sautéed summer vegetables topped with the Manchego cheese.

Zucchini Salad with Lemon, Ricotta and Herbs

At Masseria Potenti in Puglia, Italy, Maria Grazia Di Lauro served an elegant first course of raw zucchini ribbons wrapped around a lemony ricotta filling, the open ends dipped in nutty toasted sesame seeds. This salad is a much-simplified version of

By Rose HattabaughSeptember 23, 2021

Pasta with Zucchini, Pancetta and Saffron

This is our version of a fantastic pasta offering from Trattoria Bertozzi in Bologna, Italy. In lieu of guanciale (cured pork jowl), we opted for easier-to-find but equally meaty pancetta, and we lightened up the dish’s richness by swapping half-and-h

By Courtney HillApril 13, 2020

Pearl Couscous and Zucchini Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette

This hearty salad was inspired by a recipe in the book “Shaya” by New Orleans chef Alon Shaya. Tomato paste browned with garlic in olive oil forms a rich base for the dressing. Thinly sliced fresh zucchini adds subtle crunch while tomatoes offer succu

By Julia RackowJune 3, 2019