This sautéed zucchini and yellow squash recipe is one of my favorite summer side dishes. Fresh summer squash gets cooked in a hot skillet with butter, fresh herbs, and a secret ingredient for an exciting vegetable side dish.
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The Best Sautéed Zucchini and Yellow Squash Recipe
To make a really great zucchini side dish you need two things: the right cooking technique and really good complimentary flavor. This recipe uses a large skillet with plenty of room. Zucchini has a lot water in it, especially when they are big zucchini! Crowding in your saute pan will lead to a soggy sad dish.
The second part of this recipe is the delicious sauce we make from dry sherry, bright ginger, garlic, and chicken stock. It's an easy side dish with tons of flavor! It's the perfect summer side dish to compliment grilled chicken or a bug steak.
Simple Ingredients for a Simple Recipe
- olive oil
- butter
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- fresh garlic
- fresh or powdered ginger
- yellow onion - sweet onions add the best flavor
- dry sherry or lemon juice - optional
- ½ cup of chicken stock - ideally Better Than Bouillon
- sea salt and black pepper
What Cooking Equipment You Will Need
On the bright side, we only need basic kitchen supplies for this recipe. In order to make this the best side dish, it's really more about the method. Here are the things you will need:
- Large skillet or saute pan
- sharp knife
- large cutting board
- measuring cup and measuring spoon
- wooden spoon or spatula
Tips for Cooking Zucchini and Yellow Squash
One of the biggest obstacles when cooking zucchini and squash is the high water content from the flashy inside and the seeds. When you prepare the fresh zucchini for the saute pan, remove the seeds if you are working with larger zucchini. This will prevent too much water coming out into your side dish and making mushy zucchini.
Another tip to getting the best texture, try to spread out the zucchini in a single layer.
Use a hot - preheated saute pan.
Stir and move the zucchini around to release the water and allow that moisture to evaporate.
At the grocery store, look for smaller zucchini because these will also have less water in them.
How to Saute Zucchini Step By Step
This recipe goes pretty quickly. Make sure all of your ingredients are ready and measured. That way, you can focus on cooking the zucchini to perfection with no distractions.
- Begin by washing and chopping your zucchini. Cut the stem and small end off and discard.
- Next, cut through the zucchini lengthwise and lay the flat edge on your cutting board. Now, slice ¼" half moons.
- Prepare the onion and mince the garlic. Assemble and measure the rest of your ingredients.
- Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan has pre-heated, add the olive oil.
- When the oil starts to glisten, add the butter and minced onion. Cook this for 4-5 minutes while stirring, or until the onion has softened and become translucent.
- Now you can add the garlic and let that cook for one minute.
- Next, add the sliced zucchini and stir it well to coat all of the squash in the onions and butter mixture.
- After 2-3 minutes, add the sherry, ginger, salt, pepper, and chicken stock. Stir everything well to combine.
- Reduce the burner to medium heat and cook for 6-7 minutes or until the zucchini and yellow squash are tender.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Recipe Modifications and More Flavors to Add
- More fresh herbs- if your summer garden is thriving, throw them in. Fresh thyme and fresh basil are great options. Flat leaf Italian parsley is another great choice.
- Add some heat- red pepper flakes are a great way to bump up the flavor and brighten up this simple side dish.
- Parmesan cheese- when I serve this side with anything Italian, I like to add some italian seasoning and freshly grated parmesan cheese because that's just good on everything.
Great Main Dishes to Serve With Zucchini and Squash
Easy Sauteed Zucchini Recipe Card
How to Saute Zucchini and Squash
Equipment
- Enameled or Stainless Steel Pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoon ginger or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- ½ cup yellow onion
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- ½ cup chicken stock
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Begin by washing and chopping your zucchini. Cut the stem and small end off and discard.
- Next, cut through the zucchini lengthwise and lay the flat edge on your cutting board. Now, slice ¼" half moons.
- Prepare the onion and mince the garlic. Assemble and measure the rest of your ingredients.
- Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan has pre-heated, add the olive oil.
- When the oil starts to glisten, add the butter and minced onion. Cook this for 4-5 minutes while stirring, or until the onion has softened and become translucent.
- Now you can add the garlic and let that cook for one minute.
- Next, add the sliced zucchini and stir it well to coat all of the squash in the onions and butter mixture.
- After 2-3 minutes, add the sherry, ginger, salt, pepper, and chicken stock. Stir everything well to combine.
- Reduce the burner to medium heat and cook for 6-7 minutes or until the zucchini and yellow squash are tender.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @fancy_apron 🙂 or leave a comment below.
The key to this sauce is letting the flavors build one layer at a time. Butter with shallots and ginger is a great foundation. If the butter browns a little, that's a good thing. The dry sherry is the star of this sauce though. I use some sort of wine or alcohol in almost all of my sauces. It creates a depth of flavor that stands out. As soon as the alcohol has burned off, the sauce is ready for the chicken base. It's all about building on one layer at a time. Nothing complicated. Just whole ingredients and a good flavor combination.
Sherry and ginger sauce is also good on other green vegetables. I've done it with asparagus, peas, and green beans. It's a great sauce to master so that your vegetable side dish isn't ever an afterthought. And these are mostly pantry ingredients. If you don't have fresh ginger, definitely sub it out for ginger powder. Give your veggies a salt check and add a little at the end if needed. I also add a generous amount of cracked black pepper when I serve it. YUM! I hope you like it 🙂
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