Parmesan Zucchini and Corn
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A healthy 10 minute zucchini side dish to dress up any meal. It’s so simple yet full of flavor! SO SO GOOD.
Featured Comment
In an effort to use up all this summer zucchini in abundance here, I decided to make the easiest side dish ever, dressing it up with a bit of basil, oregano and thyme, a squeeze of lime juice, fresh cilantro leaves and all the shaved Parmesan. Yes, yes, yes.
why i love this easy side dish
- Quick and easy. This comes together lightning fast (and does not require much effort or time), perfect to keep in your back pocket to accompany those main dishes.
- Pairs well with any meal. This is one of those great side dishes that can dress up any dish – from steaks to lasagnas to casseroles and stews – it will truly go with any meal!
- Great for summer entertaining. Zucchini and corn are great vegetables to showcase summer produce, so good for summer barbecues, picnics, potlucks and entertaining all season long.
- Short ingredient list. The ingredient list here is super simple and short, most of which are pantry staples and herbs.
- Picky-eater approved. This is a quintessential side dish that kids will actually eat (and like)!
- Flexible and forgiving. This recipe can easily be dressed up as needed – add bacon, make it spicy or use a different kind of cheese. And you can use any kind of corn you have on hand. There is no wrong way of having zucchini and corn!
tips and tricks for success
- Size matters. Larger zucchini tend to be flavorless with bigger seeds and mushier centers. Choose zucchini that have bright green skin and are firm and heavy for its size.
- Make it colorful. Use a blend of zucchini and yellow squash.
- Any corn will work. Yellow or white summer corn is ideal (when they are fresh and budget-friendly) but feel free to use any corn you have on hand – roasted, frozen (thawed and drained) or canned.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice. While bottled lime juice can work in a pinch, freshly squeezed is ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Use high quality Parmesan. While powdered Parmesan can be a convenient option, it contains additives and fillers resulting in a gritty, sawdust texture. Opt for good quality, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or domestic Parmesan – this gives that favorited rich, nutty flavor to the dish.
- Mix it up. Add crispy bacon, make it spicy by adding in diced jalapeno or swap out the parmesan for crumbled feta.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ZUCCHINI
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Parmesan Zucchini and Corn: Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using small to medium-sized zucchini, about 5-8 oz each and 6-8 inches in length.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Parmesan Zucchini and Corn
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in zucchini, corn, basil, oregano and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
- Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan.
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Want to make to bring to a friends house for dinner. Can I make two hours before dinner time and just reheat it before serving?
Delicious, quick and easy. Also, I have a 14 year old Rat Terrier, Ivan the Terrible, who is a rescue dog and a therapy dog. Dearly beloved and unwilling to risk his health to the manufactured “treats”. He, and all my dogs through the years, have been given raw veggies as treats!
Made this tonight and it was so good! Cooked it in a cast iron skillet to give it a good char!
This was wonderful – and a snap to make – changed up the flavor and the zucchini and the corn – in the best way possible. Thanks for this great idea!
We love love this and eat it all the time. We add 1 can white beans and serve over barley. Delicious!! Thank you for this recipe.
Amazing! We loved this and plan to make it often. We’ve been looking for something to spice up our veggie options and this was a winner.
The recipe is great. One suggestion put a measurement size or weight on the zucchini (i.e. 3 cups or 1lb). Zucchini’s from the garden greatly vary in size and weight.
This was amazing! We’ve been needing to spice up our veggie sides. All the flavors were so yummy and it smelled so good while cooking. I think I would add a bit more corn next time too.
This recipe is delicious. My husband loves it. I have made it a couple of times now and plan on making this regularly through the summer!
What a surprising delight! Summer produce simply prepared. I did use lemon and skipped the cilantro since I made it wasn’t part of the flavor palate of the meal. This was a hit!! And now in my meal rotation as a side.
I made this today for dinner with some corn I husked and frozen in the fall. I came out amazing! I always improvise with whatever spices I’m in the mood for – tonight was cumin. Cumin and lime go great together.
Thank you for the recipe!
What a wonderful surprise. I’m working on a low salt diet, so I left the salt out and used very little parm, and it was scrumptious! The lime and the herbs give it so much flavor. Thank you!
This was SO good! My kids aren’t crazy about zucchini, and they LOVED this! This recipe is definitely going into rotation!
Do you thing a lemon will work instead of a lime? I wanted to make this tonight and I have everything except a lime but I do have a lemon.
This recipe was so delicious! I made it exactly as listed and it turned out perfect. Will definitely make it again.
I made this today , doubled the spices as I added a cup of cooked orzo. It’s delicious!!! I’ll make it again! I made it as a side to meat loaf with creamed cucumbers.
I added red pepper and only used 2 zucchini since there are only two of us. We still had left overs. I think it is important to have everything cut and ready to go before beginning even squeezing the lime juice. Also, I did not have all of the dried herbs so I used Italian seasoning. We liked this recipe.
I made this tonight. I added a diced seeded jalapeno for a bit of subliminal heat. I’m on my second bowl! It’s great for a meatless main dish, too! Very filling! I would maybe add the cilantro on top and not mixed in where it gets wilted and becomes a bit too strong.
how many calories?
Made this tonite as a side for marinated chicken breasts. It was delicious and so quick and easy. Will add this into my rotation for summer dinners with my home grown corn and zucchini.