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.

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.

“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

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

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

  • Added to yellow squash and then mixed into fettuccine. Great!

    • — Debra on July 7, 2024
    • Reply
  • Made exactly as written -healthy and delicious. Thank you!

    • — Sharon on May 27, 2024
    • Reply
  • Can this be made with yellow summer squash instead? My husband isn’t a major fan of zucchini. Will be making this (or a modified version) for a potluck this weekend. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes, Jen! ❤️

    • — SF Ana on September 11, 2023
    • Reply
    • Yep definitely! Enjoy 🙂

      • — Jenn on September 11, 2023
      • Reply
    • This dish was a hit at the recent potluck we attended. I used white zucchini, and added some cooked farro before serving to sop up some of the sweet, delicious sauce. A great side dish that’s another keeper. Thank you, Jenn!

      • — SF Ana on September 19, 2023
      • Reply
  • Did I do something wrong? The time allotment for the zucchini made it fairly raw. Everything else was cooked but I think the zucchini should be cooked separately before added to everything. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll try it again because I love this combo

    • — Bill on August 15, 2023
    • Reply
  • I made this for dinner last night. I added a splash of Worchestershire and a few red pepper seeds. I cooked some bow tie pasta and mixed it in for a delicious one dish meal.
    The only downside for me was all the tomato skins.

    • — Fran Bellantoni on August 13, 2023
    • Reply
  • This recipe is unbelievably delicious. I’ve made it twice now with zucchini from my friend and my cherry tomatoes and basil. The tomatoes make a delicious sauce and the second night I poured the leftovers on top of grilled salmon. Spectacular!

    • — Tracy C. on August 7, 2023
    • Reply
  • Making this up for the 4th time. A big hit with lots of zucchini in garden. I leave tomatoes out till closer to the end of cooking.

    • — Sue Korteweg on July 24, 2023
    • Reply
  • Super tasty!

    • — Hari S on July 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • Oh so Yummy!!

    Loved the fresh veggies! It was delicious over cheesy polenta, quick and easy 🙂

    • — Nors on June 28, 2023
    • Reply
  • Delicious! So fresh and yummy! Will be making a lot this summer. I used tomatoes called Sugar Bombs, a favorite in our home! Thank you…. Again!!!

    • — Martha on June 23, 2023
    • Reply

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