Grilled Zucchini
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Create THE BEST Grilled Zucchini with a delicious, simple marinade and a few tips and tricks to guarantee perfectly crispy zucchini! Serve the zucchini with grilled marinated steak or lemon rosemary chicken for a delicious meal on the grill!
Table of contents
The past few summers, our neighbors have grown an abundance of zucchini and summer squash. They are kind enough to share their surplus with us and after grilling the squash all summer, my husband perfected his marinade recipe. A simple combination of spicy brown mustard, A1 sauce and olive oil creates a flavorful zucchini marinade.
The key to getting a nice char on the zucchini? A hot grill! No one wants soggy squash, so be sure to fire up the grill and get it nice and hot before adding the zucchini. This will result in crispy, charred, grilled zucchini every time!
If you have summer squash on hand, in addition to zucchini, feel free to toss it in! This recipe works with either summer squash, zucchini, or a combination of both.
Ingredients
- Zucchini – as I mentioned above, you can also use yellow summer squash in this recipe, or a combination of both summer squash and zucchini. You’ll want about 2 pounds of squash, which is around 4 medium-size zucchinis.
- Spicy brown mustard – don’t let the name fool you, this recipe is definitely not spicy! But this mustard does add a nice zing to the marinade.
- A1 sauce – the combination of tart, sour, salty and peppery tastes in the sauce add great flavor to the marinade.
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
How to cut zucchini for grilling
The best way to get crispy grilled zucchini is to cut it into thin spears. How to do this will depend on the size and shape of the zucchini.
If you have pretty straight, medium-size zucchini, start by cutting the zucchini in half lengthwise. Remove the stem and bottom of the zucchini. Slice each half of zucchini lengthwise into 4-6 spears.
If the zucchini is really large, you may want to cut it lengthwise into quarters, then into spears.
Use this same method for cutting yellow summer squash, if you’re also using it in this recipe.
Step by step instructions
- Make the marinade. Add the zucchini spears to a large plastic bag or container with the spicy brown mustard, A1 sauce and olive oil. Toss until all of the zucchini is coated in the marinade.
- Marinate the zucchini for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Add the zucchini to the grill. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat, between 425-450°F. Spray the grill grates with cooking spray. Add the zucchini to the grill and sprinkle salt over the zucchini.
- Grill the zucchini for 5-6 minutes, flip and grill for an additional 5-6 minutes.
Remove from the grill and serve immediately. Feel free to garnish with a little flaky sea salt. One of my favorite finishing touches for recipes!
Tips and tricks
Just follow these simple tips and you’ll have perfect grilled zucchini every time!
- Always make sure the grill is hot before adding the zucchini. This is really a good rule for grilling any food. Adding food to a hot grill will give it a nice sear and ensure that it cooks properly.
- Make sure that the zucchini spears are not too thick. If they’re thicker than half an inch, they won’t get crispy.
- Always marinate the zucchini for at least an hour, whenever possible. After making this recipe dozens of times, I can tell you that the longer you marinate the zucchini, the more flavor you’re going to get. But it does take at least an hour to really get the flavor to soak in the zucchini.
- This marinated zucchini recipe can be roasted in the oven. If you don’t have a grill, you can make this recipe in the oven. I recommend roasting the marinated zucchini on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. This will give you the most similar taste and texture as if you were grilling the zucchini. Preheat the oven to 400°F and roast the zucchini for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the zucchini, return to the oven and continue cooking for an additional 8-10 minutes.
- Feel free to grill the zucchini on a piece of foil. You will still get the wonderful grill marks, with easier clean-up!
- This recipe is gluten free. While A1 sauce is not labeled gluten-free, it does not contain any ingredients with gluten.
What to serve with it
This marinated grilled zucchini is the perfect summer side dish for just about any meal. But since you’re already firing up the grill, might as well throw the rest of the meal on there as well! I like to pair the zucchini with grilled meats and sometimes another grilled vegetable.
Here are a few of the recipes we’ve made to pair with the zucchini over the last few years!
- Grilled Marinated Tri Tip
- Chipotle Lime Carne Asada
- Grilled Steak Skewers
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Cheesy Grilled Potatoes – for when I’m looking to add another side dish to the meal!
- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- Grilled New York Strip Steak with Peppercorn Crust
- Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
More zucchini recipes
Is your countertop overflowing with summer zucchini? Try all of these easy, delicious zucchini recipes!
Grilled Zucchini
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini lengthwise into spears. (See tips below in the notes.)
- Add the zucchini to a large zipper bag with the spicy brown mustard, A1 sauce and olive oil.
- Toss until all of the zucchini is coated in the marinade.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat, between 425-450°F.
- Spray the grill grates with cooking spray.
- Add the zucchini to the grill.
- Sprinkle the salt evenly over the zucchini.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- How to cut the zucchini: If you have pretty straight, medium-size zucchini, start by cutting the zucchini in half lengthwise. Remove the stem and bottom of the zucchini. Slice each half of zucchini into 4-6 spears, depending on the size of the zucchini. If the zucchini is really large, you may want to cut it lengthwise into quarters, then into spears.
- Use this same method for cutting yellow summer squash, if you’re also using it in this recipe.
- Always make sure the grill is hot before adding the zucchini. This will ensure it gets a nice sear and ends up charred and crispy!
- Make sure that the zucchini spears are not too thick. If they’re thicker than half an inch, they won’t get crispy.
- Always marinate the zucchini for at least an hour, longer if possible. The longer you marinate the zucchini, the more flavor you’re going to get. But it does take at least an hour to really get the flavor in the zucchini.
- To roast this zucchini recipe instead of grill it, place the marinated zucchini on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. This will give you the most similar taste and texture to the grilled zucchini. Preheat the oven to 400°F and roast the zucchini for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the zucchini, return to the oven and continue cooking for an additional 8-10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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