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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It was delicious . I didn’t tell my husband about it . He ate his supper then said that tomato side dish we really tasty . It was easy to make it can go with just about any meal . I was very impressed . Thank you .
One of my favorite side dishes! Fresh and delicious
I have made it and left the basil out and it’s still amazing.
I love this creative combination!! So pretty and delicious! We love them!
Love this, I changed it a little to match with the Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs by adding a little cumin and cinnamon to try and carry through the flavors. Matched really well.
Hi, I made your recipe and it looks and tastes good. One comment is 3-5 minutes to cook zucchini is too short of a time. Also, because I added the zucchini and tomato at the same time to the pan, the tomato fell apart and the skins were floating. Do you think you should cook the zucchini halfway first and then add the tomatoes?
Hi Teresa, Sure, if you’d like your zucchini a little softer without overcooking the tomatoes, I’d add them first to soften up for a few minutes and then add the tomatoes. Hope that helps!
totally agree with you! i made it double amounts and the tomatoes fell apart quickly and zucchinis were still way undercooked. i would even say, leave the tomatoes whole and give them more time to pop. otherwise you will have created more or less spaghetti sauce. i am bummed out about that.
This may have to do with the type of cherry tomato used. Some types might have more flesh, others more juice, and yet others have skin that turns very chewy when cooked. It may take experimenting with other varieties of cherry tomatoes to get the preferred texture.
Great recipe! Had cherry tomatoes and zucchini from my garden, and this recipe fit the bill! Great flavor combination. I’m always looking for different healthy ways to prepare zucchini. Thanks for a great side dish recipe!
This is sooo good! I love your recipes! Thank you!
I loved this! It was nice and light. I served this with salmon. I did add some spinach but is perfect as is!
This dish is delightful!!!! I did not make any changes to the recipe, except sometimes I have forgotten to buy fresh basil and have used dried basil or simply omitted the basil. I love pairing it with brown rice so I can enjoy the juice that is released from cooking the vegetables. Make this combo tonight with your favorite protein, and you will have an easy, gourmet meal on a weeknight. 🙂
I made this and loved it! Just wonder if you could freeze it??
Hi Jackie, Unfortunately, I don’t think the zucchini will hold up well. Sorry!
Another fabulous recipe by Jenn!
Turned out perfectly
Thank you Jenn
Lisa