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Tuscan Grilled Zucchini & Summer Squash

by:
August  2, 2009
4
9 Ratings
  • Serves 5
Author Notes

I came up with this recipe one day after harvesting some squashes and herbs from my home garden. The marinade can be tweaked with any woodsy herb and substituting a different vinegar or citrus juice. A super hot grill and sturdy skewers are key... —Stefano Coppola

Test Kitchen Notes

This dish is a great example of the whole equaling more than the sum of its parts. At first glance, this recipe seems simple enough, but we've never tasted grilled zucchini quite like this. The porous squash soaks up the lemon, garlic, herbs and chili in the marinade, and after a quick char on the barbecue, it's positively bursting with flavor. Add the soft, mellow sweetness of red onion grilled in its own skin and you've got a bowl of vegetables that's addictive. You'll have leftover marinade, which is a good thing: reuse it to grill more veggies or drizzle over a salad. Stefano Coppola doesn't specify this, but we marinated the squash at room temperature. We also seasoned the skewers generously with salt and pepper before throwing them on the grill, adding a bit more seasoning later along with a tablespoon of oil from the marinade. - A&M —The Editors

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Tuscan Grilled Zucchini & Summer Squash
Ingredients
  • 2 zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 3 summer squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 sprigs rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon crushed red chile flakes
  • 1 sprig oregano, chopped
  • 3 lemons
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
  • to taste salt & pepper
  • sturdy skewers, soaked in hot water for an hour if wooden
  • 2 red onions
Directions
  1. Make Marinade: combine garlic, herbs, chile flake, lemon juce and zest, and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Whisk in oil.
  2. Place zucchini and squash into a lage resealable plastic bag, pour marinade over and seal. Allow to marinate at least 30 min, prefferably for a few hours.
  3. Preheat grill to high.
  4. Remove zucchini and squash from marinade and skewer.
  5. Cut unpeeled onions in half and place on grill, turning occasionally. Allow to char on outside. Remove and place into a bowl, covered with plastic wrap to steam.
  6. Grill skewers until tender, 5-6 minutes total, turning occasionally.
  7. Peel and slice onions. Pull zucchini and squash off skewers, toss with onion, season with salt and pepper. Serve.
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27 Reviews

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James August 16, 2023
I write a 1 because it's a poor attempt at native American cuisine. They are missing several ingredients in the recipe. On top of that they lie and say its Tuscany dish. First off they forgot the corn, and also the tomatoes, and the beans. This dish was commonly made by Cherokee's. I suppose without the corn and tomatoes it may likely have come from a different native American tribe. The simple fact that this recipe tryst to steal recipes from native Americans makes it a 1 star.
Barb W. September 12, 2020
I love this recipe. I did cut the marinade in half. Plus I added pieces of Hatch Chiles to the skewers. Yummmmm
Rhona G. June 15, 2020
We made this tonight with fresh zucchini, summer squash, and red onion just as the recipe called for. The only thing we did differently was we cut it in half. We though it was too heavy on the rosemary and that it dominated the flavor. Also it didn't say how much lemon zest to use.
kathy August 23, 2019
The ingredient list says "3 lemons" but doesn't say what to do with them - juice of all 3? Step #1 in the directions calls for "lemon zest - how much? Thank you!
jmckillop August 5, 2019
Since zucchini and other summer squash can vary enormously in size, it's impossible to know what the ratio between the vegetables and other ingredients is meant to be. For that reason, this is a recipe that really needs to give the approximate weight of the zucchini/squash. I hope that can be added to the recipe, as I'd love to try it.
Kelsey S. February 14, 2015
How do you think this marinade would go with tilapia? I absolutely love this recipe and am hoping to incorporate the flavors into more dishes!
AAavecsucre August 13, 2013
The marinade is DELICIOUS and the flavors come through all the veg. beautifully, tasting the lemon & rosemary especially. Didn't steam the onions & just grilled up wonderfully, also added eggplant which goes great with the marinade
Lilismom July 16, 2013
Headed to the veggie market so I can make this tonight. It sounds perfect!
Sasutan January 12, 2013
Just made this, without the skewers though and had it with a side of couscous. it was fantastic.
AntoniaJames August 28, 2012
Mmm, how has this one escaped my attention?! I've been doing something along these lines for the past two summers, but without using rosemary in the marinade, and generally not grilling onions. Definitely on the must-try list -- quite possibly this evening! ;o)
Lydiac August 20, 2012
The marinade is just delicious and we gobbled up our summer squash last night. I also put some marinade on swordfish and it was wonderful.
Treble723 August 14, 2012
Had this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I used half the marinade for the veggies and the other half for some boneless, skinless chicken thighs that we also cooked on the grill. I added a dollop of yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice and it was the perfect summer meal!
Whats4Dinner October 5, 2011
OMG! I can totally eat this! I'm doing this cleanse and am only allowed certain things. This and maybe some grilled salmon fits the bill ;-)
Yay!
chirodog July 23, 2011
Can you please confirm that the 2 cups of olive oil isn't a typo??? That seems like an excessive amount of olive oil for the amount of veggies in this recipe!
Merrill S. July 23, 2011
It's not a typo -- the oil is just for marinating, although you can also drizzle a little over the top after you grill the veggies.
EmilyC June 26, 2011
Made your recipe last weekend with some of the first squash of the season. I loved the marinade. Instead of using skewers, we used our grill tray and just tossed the vegetables several times to get them evenly charred. Great recipe!
alsd2 October 16, 2009
This recipe sounds wonderful, and I often have an overabundance of summer squash from the CSA share I get through the warmer months. But as an apartment dweller, I get frustrated when recipes call for grilling, which makes them inaccessible to me. It would be nice if the book included optional directions for making grilled recipes under the broiler, even if it's not *quite* the same.
JPG August 15, 2019
I did this under a broiler for 20ish minutes. Turned the squash about halfway through. Came out great. Ate over couscous. Add harissa and this is a really easy, weeknight dinner.
Lori G. July 31, 2020
get a grill pan...I use mine all the time even with a bbq
alsd2 October 16, 2009
This recipe sounds wonderful, and I often have an overabundance of summer squash from the CSA share I get through the warmer months. But as an apartment dweller, I get frustrated when recipes call for grilling, which makes them inaccessible to me. It would be nice if the book included optional directions for making grilled recipes under the broiler, even if it's not *quite* the same.
alsd2 October 16, 2009
This recipe sounds wonderful, and I often have an overabundance of summer squash from the CSA share I get through the warmer months. But as an apartment dweller, I get frustrated when recipes call for grilling, which makes them inaccessible to me. It would be nice if the book included optional directions for making grilled recipes under the broiler, even if it's not *quite* the same.
alsd2 October 16, 2009
This recipe sounds wonderful, and I often have an overabundance of summer squash from the CSA share I get through the warmer months. But as an apartment dweller, I get frustrated when recipes call for grilling, which makes them inaccessible to me. It would be nice if the book included optional directions for making grilled recipes under the broiler, even if it's not *quite* the same.
Glenn May 18, 2011
I'm betting that if you put this under a broiler, or even on a skillet, that it would still be delicious. Try it; I will.
jenn October 9, 2009
congratulations, you are the best
TUTTE LE TUE RICETTE SON DELICIOSE
PERCHE NON TELEFONI ALLA MAMMA....
PLEASE post your risotto