Easy Grilled Zucchini – A Low Carb Summer Side Dish
This is less of a recipe and more of a revelation, a revelation about how fricken’ simple it is make delicious zucchini is on the grill!
Grilled zucchini is the low carb side dish your summer has been missing!
With just 2g net carbs per serving, this is about a simple as it gets!
Be sure to pair this with my Keto Peri Peri Chicken!
Never having owned a BBQ before I didn’t know what I was missing. And what I was missing was the sensational flavours a hot grill adds to this low carb summer squash.
A quick char to make some grill marks and you have an absolutely mouth water low carb side dish that taste like summer.
Why You Will Love Grilled Zucchini
- It doesn’t get much simpler or quicker than this
- Grilled zucchini is ready in minutes a perfect summer side to cook while your grilled meat is resting
- Impossible to mess up, even overcooked this is still quite delicious
- If you are growing your own zucchini like us then you’ll need lots of ideas to use them all!
- Zucchini is a healthy low carb vegetable full of vitamins and electrolytes
What You Need to Know
Below are the important key points you need to perfectly grill zucchini every time.
Slicing the Zucchini:
Use a large, sharp, wide knife like a chefs knife, Santoku knife, or my favourite, the Japanese Usuba. The wider the knife, the straighter more consistent cuts you’ll be able to make.
The slicing is basically the same as in my ultimate keto zucchini lasagna.
To slice, remove both ends of each zucchini and stand them up on the cutting board. Slowly and carefully slice from top to bottom being sure to apply even pressure downwards. Avoid and twisting and turning of the knife which will result in uneven slices which can burn.
Alternatively you can lay the zucchini down on the cutting board and carefully slice horizontally to make the long thin slabs.
How Thick Should I Slice Zucchini for Grilling?
The ideal thickness is around ¼ inches [7-6 mm].
This is perfect because you can get a nice char on the outside without the slice burning out and drying out.
Too thin the whole thing will burn, too thick and the zucchini will be too firm or raw inside.
Preparing Zucchini for Grilling
Brush the sliced zucchini lightly with some extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil using a basting brush makes this quick but you can just as easily use your fingers.
Seasoning is important, zucchini has a mellow flavour that needs some help.
Salt liberally, a coarse sea salt or kosher salt works really well. Salt will bring water out of the zucchini onto the surface where the heat from the grill will evaporate it away and you can achieve a proper sear.
The only other seasoning you need is some cracked black pepper.
You can play with some other seasonings, but keeping it simply really highlights the beautiful flavors of fresh zucchini.
How to Grill Zucchini: Times and Temperatures
Temperature: Medium-high
Grilling Time: 3-4 minutes per side
You know its done when: There are clearly defined grill marks and the zucchini is fork tender
The only really crucial part to grilling zucchini is timing. It cooks very quickly and tastes its best fresh off the grill.
If you are cooking something like a steak, which needs to be rested (yes it does if you aren’t resting your steak you’re doing it wrong) then put the zucchini on the grill right before you yank the meat off for resting.
By the time the zucchini is cooked, the meat will be rested.
Easy Grilled Zucchini (Summer Squash)
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Equipment
- Knife and Cutting Board
- basting brush
- BBQ or Grill
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini Sliced into long thin slices
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Remove both ends of each zucchini
- Either stand them up or lay them down flat on the cutting board and use a wide sharp knife like a Santoku, chefs knife, or vegetable cleaver to make long slices end to end. You want slabs around 1/4" [6-7mm] thick.
- Brush each slice with olive oil or avocado oil, then season liberally with salt and pepper. You can try other seasonings you like as well.
- Heat your grill to medium heat and once hot lay out each slice. Orient them so they wont slip through the grill.
- Grill for 3-5 minutes per side (It will grill faster with the lid closed) until the zucchini is tender and there are clearly defined grill marks.
- Serve fresh off the grill alongside BBQ chicken, pork, kebab, steak or any of your favourite grilled meat!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated using the recipe calculator and verified database available from Cronometer. Although every reasonable effort is made to provide accurate information this estimate is provided as courteously and convenience only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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3 Quick Tips For Grilling Zucchini
- Use small or medium sized zucchini, 6-7 inches [15-17cm or 200g] are the most flavourful and tender. Use larger ones for thing like zucchini bread.
- Cut thicker slabs rather than paper thin ones, too thin and they may shrivel up and burn. A large wide knife helps make straight even cuts.
- Season liberally, zucchini takes on flavours really well and honestly needs a little help. You can even go beyond salt and pepper and try store-bought or homemade spice rubs!
- Serve fresh off the grill! This reheats ok, but its at its best piping hot off the BBQ!
Serve With
Grilled zucchini and other summer squash pair very well with all kinds of BBQ. Steaks, chicken, kebabs, grilled fish, souvlaki, shish-kebab!
You can easily adopt the flavours of the zucchini to fit any meal by changing the seasonings.
Health Benefits of Zucchini
Zucchini is a very popular keto friendly vegetable.
A medium zucchini (6-7″ [15-17cm] or 200g) has only 4g net carbs!
Besides being a very low carb vegetable, zucchini is also full of important vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes.
Vitamins and Minerals in a Medium Zucchini:
Potassium: An essential electrolyte that is an important remedy for keto flu, as well as managing blood pressure, muscle contractions, digestion and even maintaining proper heart rhythm.
522mg (15% of RDA)
Source: Healthline
Vitamin C: Important for growth and repair of tissue, and of course a strong immune system. A vitamin that many keto dieters feel they need more of.
35.8mg (40% of RDA)
Source: WebMD
Vitamin B6: Important for brain development and maintenance. As well as a healthy nervous system. proper vitamin B6 intake may even aid in the prevention of chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer
0.3mg (35% of RDA)
Source: Healthline
Vitamin A: An important antioxidant crucial for good vision, and a strong healthy immune system.
400 IU (13% of RDA)
Source: WebMD
Magnesium: Another important anti-inflammatory electrolyte to managing keto flu as well as avoiding muscle spasms, and maintaining good health by supporting many biochemical reactions within the body.
36mg (9% of RDA)
Source: Healthline
Enjoy!
