Garlicky Marinated Zucchini (or Other Vegetable of your choice!)

I will often purchase zucchini with no plan in mind and, once it’s been sitting in my fridge for a week or two, always end up doing the same thing. Super easy, super delicious, and makes me happy to eat zucchini even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat zucchini. You just sear on both sides, marinate a bit in olive oil and vinegar with garlic and any fresh herbs you’ve got, and let it sit a while. Then eat it on its own, or toss it with whatever you like, in this case a slightly wrinkly container of tomatoes and the feta cheese in the back of my fridge.

Don’t feel too tied to zucchini - it works with any kind of summer squash, cut into any shape you like. Now that I think about it, you could use this method for lots of different vegetables. Broccoli? Sure. Winter squash? I don’t see why not, with a bit more cook time. Green beans? Definitely going to try it.

If you made a lot , leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days. Use it to mix into cooked pasta, top rice, or eat as a salad and you’ll polish off that zucchini in no time.

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Garlicky Marinated Zucchini or Summer Squash

Author: Food Waste Feast

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This is a super simple recipe that's all about getting your zucchini or squash cooked, then you can do what you like with it! Keep it plain and simple for a tasty vegetable side, or dress it up with anything in the fridge or pantry.

Ingredients

• A few zucchini or summer squash - whatever you have, really
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, for cooking
• A garlic clove or two, minced
• A splash of vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
• A handful of chopped fresh tender herbs like basil or parsley, if you have it
• Anything else you like! Other veggies like chopped tomato or avocado chunks, fresh mozzarella or feta, anything salad-y you've got in the fridge.

Instructions

1. Chop the vegetables into your shape of choice. I usually do thick zucchini coins since they're easy to cut and flip in the pan, but cut them smaller if you want them more bite-sized.
2. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil warms up, add the zucchini to the pan, then sprinkle lightly with salt.
3. Cook until the bottoms of the zucchini are nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes, then carefully flip over all the vegetables and brown the other side. Sprinkle the cooked side lightly with salt as well.
4. Once both sides of the zucchini are browned, transfer them to a bowl. Pour a splash of olive oil on top as well as a splash of vinegar. I aim for about equal amounts to make it tangy and punchy, but go lighter on the vinegar if that's not your thing. Add the minced garlic and herbs, if using, another tiny pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then stir everything to combine.
5. Let the zucchini sit in the marinade for a while - maybe 10 to 15 minutes - and let the veggies soak up all that deliciously garlicky sauce. In the meantime, you can poke around in your fridge to see what else to mix in, or just leave it plain. It's good on it's own too!