10 Quick & Easy 5-Ingredient Zucchini Side Dish Recipes

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Make sure you're stocked up on zucchini because these 5-ingredient side dishes are too delicious to ignore. We took this nutritious summer veggie and mashed, roasted and baked it into these flavorful side dish recipes that take no more than 25 minutes to make. Try our Sautéed Zucchini & Onions with Chive Butter and Roasted Baby Zucchini with Lemon Labneh for zucchini sides that pair well with any main course.

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01 of 10

Smashed Zucchini with Pesto & Burrata

Smashed Zucchini with Pesto & Burrata
Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Tender zucchini rounds get topped with creamy burrata and tangy, bright pesto for an easy side dish that's sure to impress. Crushed red pepper adds a light kick of spice to round out the flavors.

02 of 10

Sautéed Zucchini & Onions with Chive Butter

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Switch up the chives for whatever's growing in your garden--basil or dill would also be delicious in the compound butter that tops this simple sautéed zucchini recipe.

03 of 10

Parmesan-&-Herb-Crusted Zucchini

a recipe photo of the Parmesan & Herb Crusted Zucchini
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Annie Probst

This Parmesan-and-herb-crusted zucchini features a crispy crust of golden-brown baked cheese in every bite. This easy side dish is perfect paired with chicken, burgers or steak. To make it a stand-alone appetizer, using a toothpick, skewer each slice with a bocconcini (small mozzarella ball) and serve with marinara for dipping.

04 of 10

Roasted Baby Zucchini with Lemon Labneh

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This easy vegetable side dish shines alongside roasted or seared steak, chicken, shrimp or firm fish, such as cod or salmon. Sumac lends punchy, fruity, sour-lemon notes to this fast and simple recipe. Find ground sumac spice online, in specialty markets and in well-stocked grocery stores.

05 of 10

Zucchini & Mushroom Sauté

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Serve this simple side dish with grilled turkey burgers. Other fresh herbs, like thyme or oregano, work well too.

06 of 10

Calabacitas

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Enjoy this traditional Southwestern dish of sautéed summer squash, onions and peppers as a side or as a vegetarian filling for tacos.

07 of 10

Smashed Lemon-Garlic Zucchini with Parmesan

Smashed Lemon-Garlic Zucchini with Parmesan
Brie Passano

Zucchini rounds are flattened, then coated with Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, garlic and basil for a savory summer side. The cheese browns nicely, giving them an almost-crispy topping.

08 of 10

Grilled Zucchini & Squash

Grilled Squash and Zucchini
Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely

Grilled zucchini and yellow squash are tender off the grill with a hint of char, spicy garlic and a bit of zing from fresh lemon juice.

09 of 10

Smashed Zucchini with Lime, Cotija & Cilantro

a recipe photo of the Smashed Zucchini with Lime, Cotija & Cilantro
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This smashed zucchini recipe is a great way to use up a bumper crop of fresh summer zucchini. Smashing the zucchini increases the surface area that absorbs the flavors of cilantro, cotija cheese and lime beautifully. If you can't find cotija cheese, feta cheese is a good substitute.

10 of 10

Easy Grilled Zucchini

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Looking for a new way to cook zucchini? Try grilling it.

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