Creamed Zucchini with Garlic & Basil
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Made simply with grated zucchini, butter and cream, this creamed zucchini makes an easy and elegant summer dish.
This rich yet delicate creamed zucchini is easy to make. You simply sauté grated zucchini and garlic in butter, then finish it off with a touch of heavy cream and fresh basil. The zucchini gets tender and creamy, almost melting into a purée. Try it with baked or grilled fish or roast chicken — and put the recipe in your entertaining file because you can make it ahead of time.
What you’ll need to make Creamed Zucchini
How to make creamed zucchini
Begin by grating the zucchini. You can do this by hand with a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk.
Transfer the zucchini to a clean kitchen towel.
Wring out all of the excess water.
Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the zucchini and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is tender.
Add the heavy cream.
Then stir in the basil, salt and pepper and simmer until all of the cream is absorbed.
Serve and enjoy.
This recipe was inspired by a Creamed Zucchini with Herbs recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.
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Creamed Zucchini with Garlic & Basil
Made simply with grated zucchini, butter and cream, this creamed zucchini makes an easy and elegant summer dish.
Ingredients
- 1¾ pounds zucchini (preferably smaller zucchini, as they are less watery)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini by hand with a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Wrap the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much excess water as possible. Repeat a few times, replacing the towel if necessary.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shredded zucchini and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is tender, about 6 minutes. Turn the heat down to low; add the heavy cream, salt, pepper and basil and simmer until the cream is absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm.
- Make Ahead Instructions: The whole recipe ahead of time. Just cover and refrigerate. You can reheat it in the microwave right before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 179
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Sugar: 5g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 461mg
- Cholesterol: 49mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Wonderful recipe! Made it several times over the summer. My daughter also made it with coconut milk for a child who needs dairy-free. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes AND detailed recipe cooking tips!
This is so delicious! An almost comfort food, I topped with freshly grated parmasean!
This is a great way to use up the abundance of zucchini that appears in gardens around this time of year. And especially because it is a quick-cooking recipe that doesn’t heat up the house too much.
Jenn, you’re my go-to lady for recipes! I just google my ingredient + Once Upon A Chef and I always come up with some good results.
That is so nice to read, Audrey – I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes! ?
This was a delicious way to make zucchini. My husband who professes to hate it, ate his entire serving. The fresh basil is a great addition and the flavor is perfect. To lighten it a bit I used half and half and cut the butter to 2tbsp and it was still creamy. I served this with grilled salmon and Vivian Howard’s corn for a fast and easy summer meal.
Love this recipe! Great, easy, and, delicious!
This recipe is simplicity at its finest. The flavors are so clean and it is so easy to make. I am always searching for a great vegetable side dish and would not hesitate to serve this at a dinner party.
We are major zucchini fans and have frequently sauteed grated zucchini. Had never thought to add a bit of cream to it, so this caught my attention. And since we had just purchased some beautiful corn, I cut the corn off three ears and stirred it in just as the dish thickened. Heaven!!
Adding the corn kernels is an outstanding idea! I will definitely try this the next time I make this dish that I already love.
As we are not eating carbohydrates at the moment I made this dish to substitue mashed potatos…. Wow!!!
I will never br missing potatos again with this fantastic, creamy recipe! Great with fish or steak or….
Thanks!
I did not enjoy this. Like someone else said, it was bland. I love garlic and use lots and lots of it in my cooking, but all this tasted like was creamy garlic – no yum factor 🙁 I won’t be making this again.
I made this and added grated nutmeg (because in my mind, any creamed veggies ALWAYS ask for nutmeg), and my hubby and two boys devoured it. Making it for a second time right now, and had to increase zucchini by a pound (and seasonings accordingly) so that we all get enough! Insert chef fingertip kiss here!
I made this for dinner tonight-absolutely awesome! I couldn’t see getting a kitchen towel all green so instead I just put the shredded zucchini in a colander and took handfuls of it and squeezed firmly to remove the moisture. I ended up doing this twice but it was pretty dry before I was done. I had to use dried basil, 1 tsp., and did add 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg and it turned out to be the best zucchini we had ever eaten!