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Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

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By Jenn Segal
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Transform your summer dinners with a simple, flavorful veggie sauté that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.

sautéed zucchini and tomatoes on platter

Crisp zucchini, burst cherry tomatoes, and, meltingly sweet red onions sautéed in olive oil, and finished off with fresh basil. It sounds simple—and it is—but it’s one of those magical dishes where the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. Pair it with grilled salmon, steak, or chicken and some orzo tossed with a bit of lemon and olive oil for a light and easy weeknight meal.

Table of Contents

“This recipe is so fresh and light, we really loved it and so simple to make.”

Megan

What You’ll Need To Make Sauteed Zucchini And Cherry Tomatoes

ingredients for sauteed zucchini and cherry tomatoes

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion.

cooking diced red onion in large sauté pan

Cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and pale purple in color, 7 to 8 minutes. Do not brown.

softened, cooked onions in large sauté pan

Add the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper.

zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, salt and, pepper added to onions in large sauté pan

Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the zucchini are cooked but still crisp and the tomatoes have started to collapse, creating a little sauce. Stir in the fresh basil, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

cooked vegetables in large sauté pan

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.

Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes in white oval serving dish with spoon protruding

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Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

By Jenn Segal

Transform your summer dinners with a simple, flavorful veggie sauté that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 pound zucchini (2 to 3 medium), cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (I usually buy NatureSweet Cherubs)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, plus more for garnish if desired

Instructions

  1. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and pale purple in color, 7 to 8 minutes. Do not brown.
  2. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the zucchini are cooked but still crisp and the tomatoes have started to collapse, creating a little sauce. Stir in the fresh basil, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 104
  • Fat: 7g
  • Saturated fat: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 9g
  • Sugar: 6g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 2g
  • Sodium: 529mg
  • Cholesterol: 0mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

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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Comments

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  • This recipe looked absolutely delicious, and contained things that I love. However, mine did turn out soggier than I anticipated. Based on the photos, I think my zucchini, onion, etc. were chopped to similar size. Not sure if my tomatoes were overripe or if my temperature was too high. I will have to try again.

    • Hi Paula, Yes, it’s important not to cut the zucchini too small, otherwise they cook too quickly and get soggy before the tomatoes are done. Or maybe just cook it less next time.

  • Just made this tonight – it was delicious, and so easy to throw together. I served it as a side dish to a plain grilled salmon and white quinoa and it added some nice color and flavor. Thank you for such a great and easy recipe!

  • This recipe was a perfect choice to use up extra summer garden produce. We have a large family, so I doubled it and made it on two large pizza pans in a 400 degree oven. The oil and onions went in first for about 8 minutes, stirring once. The other ingredients went in for 9-10 minutes total. Looking forward to a chance to win the Analon Cookware set.

  • I’ve made this twice now, and served it alongside brown rice and grilled salmon. It’s absolutely fantastic! We substituted Mrs. Dash for the salt the 2nd time around to keep it lower sodium for a friend joining us for dinner, and it was just as tasty!

    Thanks for sharing! It’s a keeper 🙂

  • This recipe was easy to make and so visually appealing! I am not a big zucchini fan, but this was delicious. We served with some NY strip steaks and grilled bread. My husband said it tasted like very fresh ratatouille and ate his on top of the bread. Nice easy recipe after a busy fall weekend. Thank you, Jenn.

  • Well! That recipe was posted just in time! I’ve got cherry tomatoes pour out of the frig. Thank you ~

  • Nice one! I make a very similar dish but omit the onion and add halved brown button mushrooms instead, with a knob of butter added at the end.
    The hubby’s favourite summer side dish.

  • Whenever I see a new recipe from you in my inbox, I get WAY more excited than I probably should. Seriously, you have the best, most consistently reliable recipes of any food blogs I follow. My family and I have loved every single one I’ve made (which is many!).
    That said, I will be making this ASAP. Thank you for being awesome!

  • now I know what i am having with my crispy sauted salmon tonight! Thanks

    Marjory

  • Perfect for a Sukkot potluck we’re invited to! Thank you!

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