Roasted zucchini and squash is a quick and easy side dish that's ready in 20 minutes. Sliced zucchini and squash are coated in Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese then roasted in the oven.
Roasting vegetables is not only quick and easy, but a healthy way to get your daily dose of veggies each day. You'll love this recipe for roasted zucchini and squash because it only takes 5 minutes of prep before they're in the oven.
And with less than 20 minutes in the oven, this healthy side dish is ready in no time. Pair with your favorite protein for a complete meal.
Seasonal produce
Zucchini and yellow squash are in abundance come summer time. Whether you have a home garden, frequent your local farmer's market, or shop the sales at your local grocery store, you're bound to see a lot of squash this time of year.
This recipe is a great way to use up excess summer squash, and bonus - it's super flavorful! Zucchini and yellow squash are lightly seasoned with Italian seasoning and garlic powder, then parmesan cheese is sprinkled on top.
Parmesan cheese
I highly suggest using freshly grated parmesan cheese for this recipe. The reason is because pre-grated parmesan cheeses often contain anti-clumping powders and do not melt well.
If you do not have freshly grated parmesan cheese on hand, mozzarella cheese, Italian blend shredded cheese, or cheddar cheese will work. However, parmesan cheese creates a crispy, cheesy coating on the roasted squash and I highly recommend trying it!
Roasting your squash
The cooking time may vary for your zucchini and squash. I used small zucchini and squash for my recipe. If your squash is particularly large or thick cut, it will likely need a few more minutes to bake.
Try piercing your squash through the center with a fork to test for doneness. You want them to be cooked through, but not mushy. As always with cooking, use your instincts. If the squash looks done, take it out of the oven.
Ingredients, oven temperatures, and home humidity may vary person to person, so it's best to use your eyes and common sense when cooking.
Roasted Zucchini and Squash
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small zucchini
- 2 small yellow squash
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice zucchini and yellow squash into ½" discs. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add zucchini and yellow squash discs and toss to coat.
- Pour zucchini and squash onto parchment lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Sprinkle tops of zucchini and squash with parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cooked through.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- I highly recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-grated parmesan cheese (or parmesan cheese sold in a green cylinder) often contains anti-clumping powder which when melted, can be grainy.
- Larger or thicker zucchini and squash may need a few more minutes to cook through. Test for doneness by piercing through with a fork in the center.
This was so incredible! I used the same seasoning on salmon, so incredibly good!
I made this tonight for the first time. It was so easy to prepare and delicious! The only difference is that I used aluminum foil on the baking sheet instead of parchment paper. It was still good, but I wonder if the reason for parchment paper is to make the veggies crisper.
Just finished dinner and this was a great success! Will be using this recipe from now on.
This recipe is great I've made this 3 times and everyone loves it there is never any thing left it's and real big hit Thanks.
Amazing!! We put under the broiler at the end to brown. Added this to my list of favs
This was amazing! I cooked the squash for 20 minutes and it was fantastic! No changes.
How can I bake it and it not be squishy. How do I get the water out please?
One tip I have is to preheat your baking sheet in the oven. Once your vegetables are ready to bake, remove the hot baking sheet (carefully), add parchment paper and your vegetables, then place back in the oven. The preheated baking sheet will help extra liquid to evaporate quickly instead of sitting on the baking sheet while your veggies roast.
Unfortunately since zucchini are made of over 90% water, they will pretty much always have a soft texture when cooked and won't get crispy, but this may help them to be a little less squishy.
Try putting a wire rack on your baking sheet then parchment paper on top of that. It allows hot air to get to all sides of the zucchini. I did this the 2nd time I made this recipe and worked great! Every other aspect of this recipe is perfect! We love it!
This was amazing! Easy to make and a new garden favorite!
Can you use frozen? It's all I have in my freezer right now haha!
Frozen vegetables should work just fine. When roasting frozen vegetables I recommend preheating your baking sheet in the oven beforehand, so it's nice and hot when adding your vegetables. They'll start cooking immediately and the extra moisture will evaporate instead of creating puddles on your baking sheet. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you for the advice! I'll try it out tonight! ♡
I have fixed this twice in one week after trying it one time. Simple recipe with ingredients on hand. I made without parmesan cheese both times and it was STILL delicious! Thanks for my new go to healthy recipe for zucchini and squash!
This was the best squash and zucchini I’ve ever tasted! I’ve never liked how it turns out sautéing it on the stovetop since it never cooks evenly. This way it cooked evenly, was so flavorful, and way easier!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Learned a lot. Easy to understand. Many thanks for posting 🙂