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.
This recipe is fantastic! I’ve made it four times already. I have tried numerous ways to get my husband to eat zucchini, and this is finally it! He actually likes it, not just tolerates it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Jenn! Just made this recipe yesterday for my week’s lunches! I love it! I really enjoyed the touch of basil flavor in every bite! I love zucchini…and yet manage to overcook it from time to time. Not this time, thanks to your great instruction it is PERFECT! Thank you for sharing your skill!
Made this delightful dish a while back when the tomatoes were really in season and it was so easy to make and so delicious!
Hi Jen, do you think the sautéed zucchini and cherry tomatoes would go well on couscous and paired with your mirin glazed salmon? My children look forward to dinner everyday and you’re my favorite cooking companion :). Many thanks!
Hi Kristine, Thank you for the wonderful feedback and I’m so sorry for the late reply! I think this dish would go wonderfully with couscous and simply grilled or broiled salmon (with just salt, pepper and olive oil).
This is a great side dish. You could make it the main dish by adding black beans and cheese or sausage would be good.
While camping recently I shaped aluminum foil into a pan, then cooked this dish over the grill. It was great.
Summer is over and I made this recipe one more time. Like several of the reviews I read, I too, paired it with salmon and was very pleased with the result. Earlier in the season I made it as a pasta topping. It is top of my list of zucchini recipes and will be early on my list next summer when the season starts all over again.
Can this be eaten cold or reheated?
Sure 🙂
Great balance of flavors for a simple dish! Thanks!
Just made this for dinner. So easy and just so delicious! Thanks, Jenn, for yet another wonderful recipe.
Delicious!