Zucchini makes a perfect complement to any summer meal, either as a stand-alone side dish or as part of a mixed vegetable dish. This delicious, nutritious summer squash is super easy to grill. Mix it with yellow squash and carrots or serve it solo alongside chicken, fish, or pork.

Choosing Fresh Zucchini

The best zucchini comes straight out of your garden. Just wash, slice, and grill. If you don’t have a garden, your next best option is a local farmer’s market. Vegetables always have better flavor when they haven’t been sitting around in cold storage. Even if you’re buying from the grocery store, though, you can still get delicious grilled zucchini if you know how to pick the right ones. Don’t choose the biggest zucchini in the bin; smaller zucchini will be more tender and flavorful. Feel for soft spots and avoid zucchini that look wrinkled around the stem, as this means they’ve been sitting around a while.

Delicious Zucchini on the Grill

Ready to start grilling? Wash the zucchini and pat dry; then slice either in quarters lengthwise or in round slices. Coat the zucchini slices in oil and add salt, garlic, and a little lemon zest. If you want the zucchini to really soak up some flavor, you can let it marinate for about 20 minutes. Once the seasonings have been added, place the zucchini slices on the grill over medium-low heat. Cook until zucchini can be easily pierced with a fork. Be sure to turn the slices so you get those nice grill marks on each side. Sprinkle with some additional sea salt and lemon zest or parmesan cheese before serving.

More Recipe Ideas

If you have a lot of zucchini from the garden or you just want some additional seasoning options, try some of these ideas to give your zucchini a different flavor:

• Italian–Marinate zucchini in Italian dressing and sprinkle with mozzarella.
• Herb vinaigrette–Brush with a mixture of your favorite vinaigrette, some garlic, and a pinch of basil, oregano, and rosemary.
• Lemon Butter–Make a lemon butter sauce of melted butter, lemon zest or lemon-butter seasoning, garlic, and oregano. Brush onto zucchini before grilling.
• Mixed Grill–Mix zucchini with yellow squash, broccoli, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and peppers for a satisfying side dish. Place vegetables in an aluminum foil pouch, and then toss with oil-based salad dressing or olive oil and your choice of seasonings. Seal pouch and place on grill over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

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