Looking for a Quick Side Dish? Sautéed Zucchini With Fresh Dill and Lemon Takes Just 15 Minutes (2024)

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Summer Squash

This sautéed zucchini withdill is such a simple and easy side dish for summer meals. Six ingredients, 15 minutes, and it's ready. Great on its own, or serve with grilled chicken or fish.

Sheryl Julian

Sheryl Julian was the Food Editor, reporter, stylist, and recipe developer for The Boston Globe for 30 years. She teaches food journalism at Boston University in the Masters in Gastronomy program.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated September 10, 2022

How to Slice the Zucchini

I like to use a mandoline to slice the zucchini into thin, uniform circles, but you can also use a food processor with a slicing blade or your chef's knife. If the opening of your food processor is too small for whole zucchini, halve them lengthwise first to make half-coins.

I like to add fresh dill and lemon zest to my sauté. They add just the right aromatics to the zucchini.

Tips for the Best Zucchini

Use a large skillet: Not only does this let you fit more zucchini in the pan, but it means more pieces get contact time with the hot skillet. Contact time means browned, golden bits!
Cook in batches: This way you don't crowd the pan and your zucchini sears instead of steams.
Don't stir for the first few minutes: This lets the zucchini on the bottom become nicely browned.
Cook until crisp-tender: Try a round or two of zucchini as it cooks. It's ready when tender all the way through and no longer crunchy, but still with a bit of bite.

More Simple Zucchini Recipes!

Roasted Zucchini with Garlic
Spicy Zucchini Soup
Cheesy Zucchini Bites
Zucchini with Thyme
Sautéed Zucchini with Gruyere

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Easy Sautéed Zucchini

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time30 mins

Servings6to 8 servings

Ingredients

6 medium zucchini (7-inches long, 2 1/2 pounds or 1.10 kg total)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest from one lemon

Method

Prepare the zucchini:
Cut away the stem from the zucchini and trim the bottom end. Slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds using a mandoline, food processor, or your very best knife skills.
Cook the zucchini in two batches:
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half the zucchini. Cook without stirring for 4 minutes, or until some of the rounds are golden when you lift them with a spatula.
Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Turn and cook 2 minutes more without disturbing or until more rounds are brown. Do this two more times. Not all the rounds will be browned but a lot of them will be. Transfer to a bowl.
Cook the second batch of zucchini with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of pepper in the same way. Return all the zucchini to the pan.
Season the zucchini:
Sprinkle the hot zucchini with the dill and lemon zest, and toss well. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
Serve:
This dish can be served hot or warm.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
119	Calories
8g	Fat
15g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	119
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 1g	5%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 139mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate 15g	5%
Dietary Fiber 4g	15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 73mg	365%
Calcium 53mg	4%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 559mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.