37 Zucchini Recipes to Squash Your Stash
Despite everything this lineup of verdant, satisfying-looking zucchini recipes proves, the summer squash has a sad, watery reputation. The “watery” bit is really a fact—zucchinis are 94% H2O—but the “sad” part, we’re here to tell you, is straight-up gossip. Just because the humble zucchini is inexpensive and abundant, and there are probably at least a few rolling of them around in your fridge at any time from June through September (and beyond!), it doesn’t mean it’s not fit for kings. Kings, we say! Whether you’re a slow-roasted zucchini person or prone to grill, zoodle, or stew into oblivion, our best zucchini recipes all show that, sometimes, the greatest things in life can be so simple.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Marc Williams, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi1/37Actually-Crispy Zucchini Fries With Herby Yogurt Dip
The zucchini recipe of your childhood dreams: fried zucchini, which doesn’t need a deep fryer or air fryer to get supremely crispy and golden brown. The secret(s)? A skillet, vegetable oil, medium-high heat, and panko breadcrumbs.
- Photograph by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk2/37
Saucy Grilled Summer Squash With Chickpeas
Zucchini is actually a part of the summer squash family. In other words, all zucchini are summer squash, but summer squash defines a larger group of veggies that includes yellow squash, pattypan, and more. The point is: Feel free to sub in whatever summer squash looks great at Sunday’s farmers market.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich3/37
Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta
Nothing says Italian seasoning like that classic mixture of garlic, onion, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and basil. All of that, plus lemon juice and Parmesan, goes into the sauce for this zucchini pasta recipe.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by D'Mytrek Brown4/37
Ginger-Cardamom Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread is for when you need a hit of carbohydrates and want to get your veggies in, too—but also, make it dessert. The squash’s high moisture content gives this loaf cake its soft crumb.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio5/37
Curry Vegetables
This Caribbean-style curry is made with a mixture of zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, and mushrooms. For something similar but with a little added protein, try this Tofu and Summer Vegetable Curry.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio6/37
Fried Zucchini and Butternut Squash Torta
Let’s just describe this one: toasted hero rolls spread with a shallot-y ricotta mixture and a single layer each of fresh tomato slices, fried butternut squash and zucchini, salsa macha, and greens. (You clicked, didn’t you?)
- Photograph by Graydon Herriott, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk.7/37
Kuku Kadoo
To make this Persian egg and zucchini dish a full meal, serve each slice of kuku with a dollop of thick, tart yogurt and warm flatbread.
- Photograph by Jessica Pettway, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh8/37
Crispy Coconutty Zucchini Fritters
When we hear zucchini boats, we think about fritters, not scooped-and-stuffed roasted zucchini shells. That’s because crispy, crunchy, salty vegetable fritters are the best vehicles to carry savory yogurt sauce into our mouths.
- Photograph by Joyce Lee, food styling by Brandon Gray, prop styling by Chloe Kirk9/37
Summer Squash and Arugula Pesto Pizza
Zucchini gets a star turn alongside ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and a peppery arugula pesto. PS, more ricotta dollops and a showering of fresh mint adorn the pizza post-bake.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Shuai Wang, Prop Styling by Megan Forbes and Christina Hussey10/37
Grilled Squash With Nuoc Cham Chimichurri
Hit “save recipe” if you need a smoky, savory, grilled vegetable side dish to make all summer long. The cook time is minimal, to boot.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Olivia Mack McCool11/37
Ratatouille Pasta
If we were to round up an all-star team of summer's greatest produce, it’d look a little something like ratatouille: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. The gang’s all here.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca12/37
Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Instead of squeezing and straining grated zucchini for zucchini bread, just add cocoa! Cocoa powder is a whiz at soaking up excess moisture. By the way, the chocolate chips are not optional; they melt into the crumb so beautifully.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua13/37
Lemony Zucchini With Sour Cream and Dill
Giving chunky zucchini pieces a hard sear in a cast-iron skillet helps them develop texture and color while minimizing sogginess. The dilly sour cream provides a garlicky counterpart.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks14/37
Spicy Skillet Lasagna With Ricotta and Spinach
You might think you’d have to stir-fry zucchini slices before layering them into a vegetarian lasagna, but not in this recipe. You just need to salt them and let them sit on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels so they dry out a little.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman15/37
Zucchini Fritters
The soy and rice vinegar dipping sauce gives these zucchini fritters a Japanese vibe. For a Greek-inspired version, try these Zucchini Keftedes With Feta and Dill.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Amy Wilson16/37
Grilled Summer Squash and Red Onion With Feta
Inspired by the technique called escabèche, where cooked fish and meat are preserved in an acidic vinegar mixture, we’re cooking the zucchini first, and marinating it second.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou17/37
Sweet and Spicy Grilled Summer Squash
The crosshatch pattern isn’t just for show; it allows for the salt to fully penetrate the zucchini and also draws out some of the excess water so that the sweet, tangy glaze can be fully absorbed.
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Pounded Flank Steak with Zucchini Salsa
This side dish and main, two-in-one approach feels refreshing: You’ll pound the steak and then grill it before scattering a relish of raw zucchini cubes tossed in vinaigrette to top. Your total time will be under 30 minutes.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Claire Saffitz19/37
Slow-Cooked Summer Squash with Lemon and Thyme
Cooking summer squash low and slow yields sweet, nutty, tender—but not mushy—results. They fold into pasta beautifully, but that’s just one of many ways to use them.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li20/37
Zucchini-Lentil Fritters With Lemony Yogurt
If you haven’t noticed yet, we love a crispy fritter. In this Bengali-inspired version, soaked and blended red lentils make up the batter, which is spiked with turmeric and chili powder.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Frances Boswell21/37
Hummus With Spiced Summer Squash and Lamb
In this zucchini recipe, homemade chickpea hummus acts as a bed for spiced lamb and seared summer squash. And speaking of dips from the Middle East, this squash baba ghanoush proves the method applies to more than eggplant.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Anna Billingskog22/37
Cheesy Zucchini-Eggplant Bake
We like to think of this as an eggplant and zucchini casserole because, well, sometimes you need the comfort of a casserole, even in summer. Mozzarella, thanks for being here, too.
- Alex Lau23/37
Grilled Halibut and Summer Squash with Pumpkin Seeds
This is a healthy, low-cholesterol dinner recipe that uses only a handful of ingredients. In other words, this recipe (or recipes, since it’s really a main and a salad in one) is a godsend.
- Alex Lau24/37
Shaved Squash Salad with Tomatoes and Ricotta Salata
The mixture of shapes and colors brought on by the summer squash ribbons, cherry tomatoes, shaved ricotta salata, and torn herbs make this dish feel like a Kaminsky painting. For another shaved zucchini salad recipe with a different vibe, Try this Corn and Zucchini Salad With Feta.
- Photo by Alex Lau25/37
Ultimate Zoodles
You don’t have to have a Spiralizer or some other fancy kitchen gadget to prepare these zucchini noodles; simply cut the zucchini and cucumber into thin matchsticks.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Judy Mancini26/37
Summer Squash and Basil Pasta
Sautéed squash eventually gets jammy and saucy if cooked long enough, ideal as a way to coat big pieces of pasta. We like paccheri for its smooth, sexy loops, but ziti or an other large tube pasta would work.
- Photo by Heidi's Bridge27/37
Caramelized Zucchini Flatbread
Make sure you have two large, rimmed sheet pans if you want to make this cocktail party appetizer: one to roast the veggies and one for the dough.
- Alex Lau28/37
Zucchini, Potato, and Fontina Pizzettas
Talk about tasting the rainbow. The thinly sliced zucchini, red onion, and potatoes artfully placed to make ribbons of different colors, essentially, are so pleasing to the eye.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen29/37
Marinated Zucchini With Hazelnuts and Ricotta
Zucchini is anything but boring when bathed in a kicky vinaigrette. Want some bell peppers in this mix? Try these marinated summer veggies.
- Alex Lau30/37
Summer Squash Frittata With Herbs
A fresh herb salad of basil, chives, parsley, and tarragon tops this brunch-appropriate zucchini recipe. Add some zucchini muffins to the table and you’ve got a theme going.
- Peden + Munk31/37
Torn Zucchini with Mint and Calabrian Chiles
This zucchini recipe is basically a warm salad, perfect as part of a weeknight summer supper.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Graylen Gatewood32/37
Ratatouille
Traditional ratatouille from Provence, in the South of France, is made with zucchini, eggplant, sweet red peppers, and tomatoes. Sometimes referred to as a vegetable stew, it’s supremely adaptable.
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Summer Squash Sauté
One of our favorite ways to serve summer squash: sautéed zucchini, pattypan, crookneck, et cetera, julienned with a mandoline slicer so that it’s noodle-like, and hit with plenty of salty Parmesan cheese.
- Zach DeSart34/37
Cuban Sandwich with Zucchini Pickles
Make sure you plan ahead for this one, which requires some prep time: The zucchini needs to be covered and chilled for at least 12 hours before they’re sufficiently pickled.
- Gentl & Hyers35/37
Fish Pie With Potatoes, Leeks, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
One grated medium zucchini helps thicken the filling in this yummy dish, like a fish shepherd’s pie, basically disappearing as it cooks into the sauce.
- 36/37
Stewed Zucchini With Garlic, Basil, and Mint
It takes only extra-virgin olive oil, zucchini slices, garlic, fresh herbs, salt and black pepper to make, and it plays well with carbs (i.e., slathered on toast).
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Zucchini Dill Pickles
What would a list of zucchini recipes be without pickles? This easy recipe is a classic—you’ll find the usual dill sprigs, mustard seeds, and garlic—but reinvented (i.e., no cucumbers).
