Grilled Zucchini

“How did you make this?”

The last time I wrote about zucchini was back in 2019 when the same question was asked (probably by the same friend) which motivated me to write down how I make Zucchini, Corn & Red Pepper.

This super simple recipe is the perfect side vegetable when you have your grill fired up and ready for your perfectly seasoned chicken using the world famous Iki Marinade. Three squash will be enough for six side servings.

• three large zucchini
• salt and black pepper
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• extra virgin olive oil
• pinch dried basil
• grated Parmesan/Romano cheese blend

1. Heat up your grill.
2. Scrub and rinse the zucchini. Dry thoroughly.
3. Cut the ends off then slice each squash lengthwise and each half in half. You want four nice sized chunks each about 3-4 inches long.
4. Arrange the squash in a baking dish and coat liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Flip the pieces so that they are cut side up.
5. Lightly sprinkle with salt, onion and garlic powders.
6. When your grill is nice and hot place the squash pieces onto the grill skin side down. Angle them if you want to make grill marks.
7. Close the lid and grill for 1-2 minutes. Reposition the squash (for those grill marks) close the lid and grill for another 1-2 minutes.
8. Flip the squash to cut side down. Repeat #7.
9. The squash should be firm and cooked through after 8-9 minutes. Remove and place back into the baking dish cut side up.
10. Lightly sprinkle black pepper, dried basil, and grated cheese.
11. The zucchini can be served at room temperature or kept in a warmed oven prior to serving. If you use the oven to keep the zucchini warm remember they will continue to cook and might get mushy.

Tips and Otherwise Random Thoughts

You’ll note that the black pepper, basil, and cheese are added after grilling. I do this so that these ingredients don’t get burned/grilled off in the cooking process. For the Veganistas out there, leave off the cheese. I happen have a preference for Spanish extra virgin olive oil. The private label brand I buy sneakily substituted EVO from Portugal instead of Spain. Now I like Portuguese olive oil too. I specifically used a baking dish to hold the squash before grilling because I did put the veggies in the oven to keep warm.

The next time I grill zucchini I plan on grilling twice the number of squash. I’ll use the leftover squash in a pasta dish.