This sautéedside dish with zucchiniis full of onion, tomato, herbs, and of course zucchini to make a bright and fresh side that tastes out-of-this-world delicious. It’s such a quick and easy dish to cook on the stovetop and gives another tasty use for all the zucchini from the garden!

zucchini and tomato in a baking pan for a side dish with zucchini recipe.

Summer garden season makes it so easy to serve up plenty ofvegetable side dishes! My mom’s garden in Indiana was so prolific, and there was no shortage of squash. She was good at using what her garden had to offer, and we ate lots and lots of fresh vegetables all summer.

She and I made up this recipe one day and just loved it. It’s about the only way we’ve cooked savory zucchini since; why mess with perfection? It is my favorite way to cook zucchini, and I can eat most of the dish myself.

pan sautéing zucchini and tomatoes with fresh herbs.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is a heavenly yet simple veggie side thatpacks rich flavorand beautiful colors onto your plate with just a handful of fresh ingredients!
Perfect for summer garden seasonwhen zucchini harvests are so abundant.
A great way to get more vegetables into your family’s diet, plus zucchini cooks up very quickly.

🥒 My favorite zucchini childhood memory was carving boats out ofgiant zucchinisand sailing them down the river!

Recipe Ingredients

Butter or olive oil —another light oil can be used instead
Onion —Use whatever color or type of onion you have on hand.
Garlic
Zucchini —fresh is the only way to go here (no frozen!)
Tomatoes —I usually use fresh tomatoes since I mostly cook this in the summer when both zucchini and tomatoes are in the garden.
Seasonings —Use your favorite fresh herbs, plus salt and pepper.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

zucchini and tomato side dish on a spoon.

How to Make This Zucchini Side Dish

Cook the onions in butter or oil until softened.
Add garlic and zucchini, and cook until zucchini is a bit tender.
Add chopped tomatoes, cooking for a few minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in herbs and seasonings.

Recipe FAQs

How long does zucchini need to be cooked?

Zucchini is a fairly fast-cooking veggie, and I prefer it al dente. (In fact, there’s almost nothing worse than mushy, over-cooked zucchini in my mind.) When you add the zucchini to the pan, it’ll only need a few minutes to cook, about 4 or 5. It should still have some crunch to it when you bite in, and it’ll maintain its shape well.

How do you cut up zucchini?

Remove the ends with a knife, and then cut it into quarters, lengthwise. Cut each of those spears into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch pieces. You don’t need to remove the seeds or skin if you’re working with small or medium zucchinis!

How long does zucchini side dish last?

Zucchini notoriously gets mushy when you reheat it, so if you expect to have leftovers, just be sure you cook it al dente so it doesn’t soften too much when you reheat the dish. It’ll keep for about 2 to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

zucchini and tomato side dish in a white dish with pink and white towel and red tomato in background.

Expert Tips

Good Flavor:You can use really any herbs you like in this recipe! I’ve used and loved cilantro, basil, chives, and parsley. You could also use a combination of a few herbs. If you use rosemary or thyme, only add a tablespoon since they’re a lot stronger in flavor.
Onion Amount:There is a lot of onion in this dish.If you aren’t an onion lover, feel free to reduce the amount.For flavor, though, I wouldn’t go less than 1/3 cup of chopped onion.
Reheating Tip:Thebest way to reheat leftoversis to cook in a skillet over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.