This healthy side dish features caramelized, tender zucchini and mushrooms brightened with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Pairs well with meat, fish, or other vegetable dishes!
I started playing with zucchini and mushrooms when working on this Zucchini Mushroom Pasta recipe, but realized I loved this flavor combination so much that it deserved its own treatment as a side dish.
And, in fact, it’s almost hearty enough to be a vegetarian main course, perhaps when paired with Homemade Garlic Bread.
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Why Make This Recipe
- Sautéing vegetables separately adds great depth of flavor
- Great way to use in-season produce like zucchini and mushrooms
- Low in fat and calories, but high in deliciousness!
- Vegan and gluten-free, so works for almost everyone
🥗 Ingredients
- Zucchini: Look for dark green, firm, unblemished zucchini with smooth unwrinkled skin. You could substitute a yellow summer squash for one or both of the zucchini.
- Mushrooms: We use a combination of button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms in this dish. You can stick to just one or the other, or mix in other mushroom varieties like cremini or portobello for even more flavor.
- Shallots: You can replace with a red onion if you don’t have shallots.
- Thyme: Feel free to try other fresh herbs as well, such as basil or parsley.
- Balsamic Vinegar: A basic balsamic is perfect for this dish, no need for anything super aged. Replace with red wine vinegar if you don’t have balsamic, or leave it out entirely.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Cut off the ends of two medium-large zucchini, then cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Slice into ¼-inch thick half moons.
Wipe 8 ounces white button mushrooms and 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms clean of any dirt, and remove stems. Cut caps into ¼-inch thick slices.
Peel and thinly slice 2 shallots. Peel and mince 1 large garlic clove.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add zucchini slices and shallots and sauté until tender and browned at the edges, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and cook for an additional minute, then remove from pan. Put in another tablespoon of olive oil, then add mushroom slices and cook until they release their liquid and start to brown, about 10 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and ½ tablespoon thyme leaves and cook for another minute. Add zucchini back to pan, and stir until all is warm. Garnish with remaining ½ tablespoon of thyme leaves.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
This dish can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or over the stove. You may need to add a splash of water or two if the vegetables seem a little dried out.
Yes, definitely. This dish reheats easily and stores well in the refrigerator. Wait to garnish the mushrooms and zucchini with fresh herbs until you are ready to serve.
How do you keep zucchini from getting soggy when sautéed?
Don’t crowd the zucchini in the pan—make sure it is in one layer, and cook it in batches if there is too much. Cook it on medium-high heat so that the pieces sear rather than steam. Sauté with just a little olive oil.
Cooking the zucchini in broth or water can also make it soggy. Finally, cooking it separately from your other vegetables really helps so that you can take it off the heat as soon as it is tender and browned (and not overcooked).
👩🍳 Expert Tips for Zucchini and Mushroom Sauté
Your zucchini and mushrooms will cook differently depending on the heat of your stove and your skillet. Pay attention to what the vegetables look like, rather than just going by the times indicated. The cook time will also vary depending on how big your zucchini are. Adjust the heat if the vegetables start to brown too quickly, and turn it up a little if they are not browning.
Don’t use a skillet that is too small or overcrowd your skillet. You might be tempted to cook the zucchini and the mushrooms at the same time, but this will just end up in steaming both of them. You’ll lose the depth of flavor that comes from the browning of each ingredient.
Want to bring the heat? Feel free to add some red pepper flakes to the vegetables.
Want to get a little decadent? Top this with a ball of burrata cheese, mozzarella, feta, or goat cheese. Or, melt a pat of Garlic Compound Butter over the top! In the spring, try switching out the zucchini for asparagus with this similar Sautéed Asparagus and Mushrooms recipe.
Got leftover mushrooms? Turn them into a filling for this Cheesy Mushroom Quiche.
We love zucchini and mushroom recipes. This sauté is the perfect example, but the combination of zucchini and mushrooms is so good in so many forms. Try filling French Crêpes with zucchini and mushrooms.
Or using them as a filling for this Pancetta Frittata? And of course using them as a sauce for pasta as in this Zucchini Mushroom Pasta dish is excellent!
And of course, this makes a fantastic side dish for grilled meat or fish, a bacon cheeseburger, these Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs, or these Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs. This would also be fantastic on the side of this Slow Cooker Duck. Try pairing with some Parmesan Smashed Potatoes too for a vegetarian meal.
Other Delicious Zucchini Recipes
Love zucchini as much as we do? (Or maybe it’s just that time of year when you have more zucchini that you would ever want??) If so, how about preserving some with this handy Zucchini Relish recipe? Or check out one of these favorites:
If you try this Sautéed Zucchini and Mushrooms recipe, we would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to us.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. We’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
More Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
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Sautéed Zucchini and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large zucchini (about 1/14 pounds)
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 2 shallots
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves divided
Instructions
- Cut off zucchini ends, then cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Slice into ¼-inch thick half moons.
- Wipe mushrooms clean of any dirt, and remove stems. Cut caps into ¼-inch thick slices.
- Peel and thinly slice shallots.
- Peel and mince garlic clove.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add zucchini slices and shallots and sauté until tender and browned at the edges, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute, then remove from pan.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil, then add mushrooms.
- Cook until they release their liquid and start to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add balsamic vinegar and ½ tablespoon thyme leaves and cook for another minute.
- Add zucchini back to pan, and stir until all is warm.
- Garnish with remaining thyme leaves.
Notes
Don’t use a skillet that is too small or overcrowd your skillet. You might be tempted to cook the zucchini and the mushrooms at the same time, but this will just end up in steaming both of them. You’ll lose the depth of flavor that comes from the browning of each ingredient. Storage Tips:
This dish can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or over the stove. You may need to add a splash of water or two if the vegetables seem a little dried out.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Zucchini Mushroom recipe, tag us @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because we’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Monique says
Very tasty and easy to prepare! Bonus points because my 2-year-old loved it! I did improvise upon it a bit and added some plant-based chicken (I'm vegan) and brown rice. Thank you for sharing the recipe, this.will definitely be repeated in the future!
Molly Pisula says
So glad to hear that! (And big points that your 2-year-old enjoyed it!!)
JOY EVANS says
I am so happy I read your recipe. I would have sauted the squash and mushrooms together, and would have made a mess. I can't wait to cook this....TODAY!!!
Molly Pisula says
Oooh, enjoy! I'm actually making this again this weekend, and already looking forward to it!