Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
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Transform your summer dinners with a simple, flavorful veggie sauté that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.
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.”
What You’ll Need To Make Sauteed Zucchini And Cherry Tomatoes
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion.
Cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and pale purple in color, 7 to 8 minutes. Do not brown.
Add the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper.
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.
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Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
Transform your summer dinners with a simple, flavorful veggie sauté that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.
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
- 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.
- 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
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 104
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 529mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
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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This is really good
So good and so easy! Planning to make it again soon!
Can you make this ahead of time and eat it as a cold dish or it’s meant to be eaten hot?
Hi Serena, Glad you like it! I’ve never eaten it cold, but I think it would be good cold or at room temperature.
Delicious way to use our homegrown zucchini, tomatoes and basil. This is an easy-to-make, tasty side dish which I love serving with the cedar planked salmon. I don’t know how you do it Jenn, but your recipes hit it out of the park every time!
This was excellent and so easy to prepare. I added shredded parmesan on top at the end. Also a very colorful dish to have as a side. Will definitely make this again and again.
So thankful sharing your recipe. We love it. It’s a keeper.
This recipe is somehow so much more than the sum of its parts! I make it many times throughout the summer when zucchini,cherry tomatoes and basil are plentiful (even in my neglected garden), but it’s also good with store bought produce out of season. Thanks for another great recipe!!
Would you recommend adding cheese to the zucchini and Tomato recipe?
Sure, it would be nice sprinkled on top right before serving. Hope you enjoy!
This looks delicious, and can’t wait to make it, just wondering why the sodium content is so high.
Hi Donna, I just rechecked the numbers and they are correct. The sodium comes primarily from the salt so feel free to cut back on it if you are watching your sodium. You can always add more to taste. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Yummy!! Made this and put it over Tri-colored Couscous. Healthy, tasty, and colorful!
Love the simplicity of the recipe and the real life pics.
Giving this a 5-Star rating 🙂
Thank you Jenn! I make this dish often and usually add some shrimp to the pan at the last few minutes of cooking!
I make this dish as is during the summer as that is when I can get super fresh zucchini, baby tomatoes and basil but in the winter I wanted to share that I cook it a little bit longer with some water or veggie broth added to it so it gets a bit “stewy” and I add some dried oregano and chili flakes or hot sauce to it. It is next level good and it has a homey feel to it. Today I did the winter version for lunch but I threw in some pan fried firm tofu to add some protein and had it with some brown rice. DELISH and so filling! Thank you!