Sauteed Zucchini with Onions

Sauteed zucchini with onions: a simple and delicious way of cooking zucchini in the pan. Serve as a side dish or light main meal.

An easy and wonderful recipe for sauteed zucchini with onions! I was so impressed by it the first time I’ve cooked it, that I couldn’t stop telling about it to just about anyone around me for several days. And I cooked the dish 3 times during that same week.

Mind you, I had lots of zucchini from a friend’s garden… so I kept throwing them in just about anything I’ve cooked lately, including cakes… Or this super delicious vegan zucchini curry. Or in a zucchini soup.

Ingredients

The list of ingredients might seem long for just a simple sauteed zucchini and onions recipe, but don’t let that put you off from cooking the dish. They are all ingredients you probably have in your cupboard anyway, basic things like garlic, raisins, and almonds.

Zucchini:

• Smaller, thinner ones would be perfect, due to the fact that they are thin, you will be able to cut them into pretty rounds and the dish will look just stunning at the end. If using young ones, removing the seeds is definitely not necessary.
• But if all you have are larger zucchini from the garden, don’t worry about it, the dish will taste just as amazing.
• In this case, halve them lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with the help of a teaspoon (if necessary, if there are too many of them and too many of them making the middle of the vegetable soft and mealy), and slice the halves into half-moons.

Nuts:

• The original recipe calls for pine nuts. However, pine nuts are an item that I don’t usually have in my pantry. They are rather expensive and have a rather short shelf life, so I prefer to buy them fresh when I need them.
• So, I used almonds instead and didn’t regret it, they were just wonderful.
• But if you like, do use pine nuts, I am sure they would be delicious.

Herbs:

• The original recipe also calls for mint. I would have had some in the garden, but somehow I just didn’t feel like it, so I used parsley. Do use whatever you like best.

And talking about the original recipe, I’ve learned how to saute zucchini with onions and raisins from Diane Henry’s book Food From Plenty. (Amazon affiliate link)

I have discovered Diane Henry’s books only recently, I bought the kindle edition of her poultry book A Bird in the Hand: Chicken recipes for every day and every mood and liked it so much that I’ve bought almost all of her other books in a matter of days… (Amazon affiliate link)

I am obsessed with cookbooks, have I ever told you that? I must have over 300 hundred now… Not counting recipe magazines.

Tips for making sauteed zucchini

• If the zucchini are very large, make sure to remove the seeds.
• Start with roasting the almonds in the clean pan, without adding any fat. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn very quickly. Once roasted transfer to a large plate and let cool.
• To perfectly saute the zucchini, I prefer to do that in a large skillet or large non-stick pan and in batches, if necessary, not crowding the pan too much.
• Sautee the zucchini slices in two batches, it ensures that they are perfectly cooked and golden on both sides.

How to serve?

You can serve the sauteed zucchini with onions either warm or at room temperature, I have actually had it at room temperature more often than not.

The recipe makes a great side dish for chicken breast, for instance. However, I have had them most of the time on their own with a slice of crusty bread or, my favorite version, with a very large dollop of hummus or fava bean dip. Soooooo goooood!

The nutrition is calculated for 2 servings, if the sauteed zucchini with onions are intended to be a main meal. If serving as a side dish, the quantities should be enough for 4 people.

 More zucchini in the pan:

Easy Pan-Fried Zucchini

Corn and Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini with Pesto

Air Fryer Zucchini

Zucchini Slice