Charred Smashed Zucchini

This easy side dish takes the humble zucchini, smashes it, and chars it to create maximum flavor. Served with garlicky yogurt and salty pecorino romano, smashed zucchini is a quick and flavor-packed dish.

Zucchini is one of those summer produce staples that everyone is trying to give away this time of year. So, if you find yourself in a zucchini surplus…smash it!

Smashing vegetables creates more surface area and, thus, more area for flavor to develop. The best example of this is my viral smashed Brussels sprouts that had over 30 million people drooling over them!

Now, zucchini, sure, you can make crispy zucchini chips with it, but once you try smashed, you’ll be hooked.

It’s simply *smashing*

• Smokey and creamy are a match made in heaven between the garlic yogurt sauce and charred smashed zucchini.
• It’s ready in just 10 minutes, making it a great appetizer or side dish for all the summer gatherings.
• It’s just plain fun to smash an entire zucchini (yes, I like to play with my food).

here’s what you’ll need

This recipe uses just 8 ingredients for both the zucchini and the sauce (and all are easily found in any grocery store).

• For The Zucchini: Zucchini is tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Garlic Yogurt Sauce: Grab plain Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon (both the lemon zest and lemon juice), salt, and pepper.
• Optional: You can also top the whole thing with pecorino romano and crushed red pepper flakes. Parmesan cheese will also work!

it goes like this

1. Mix the sauce ingredients together.
2. Smash the whole zucchini on a firm surface using a mallet or rolling pin.
3. Season the pieces well with oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Broil for 5-7 minutes on a sheet pan, watching closely (this is why we make the sauce first) so the broiler doesn’t burn them.
5. Serve with the yogurt sauce on the bottom of a platter, zucchini on top, and red pepper flakes and pecorino on top (if desired). If not using cheese, finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

how to grill smashed zucchini

To grill this, you can place the zucchini pieces directly on a hot grill (it should be about 500 degrees). Keep the lid open and flip after a few minutes. Remove when golden brown and slightly charred.

Customize It

This dish can be totally customized with any of these fun additions.

• Chickpeas can be roasted and added on top for more crunch.
• Burst cherry tomatoes add a sweet note.
• Pine nuts or pistachios bring a salty crunch.
• Use fresh herbs like dill, basil, or chives to finish.

Recipe Testing Notes

• Slices versus smashed yielded different results. If you made any of my other smashed recipes, you know we are usually smashing with a cup, not a mallet. But for zucchini smashing the entire thing instead of zucchini rounds resulted in more natural fractures for better browning.
• Using a grill or oven is a great option. I think the grill gives a bit better color, but the oven is convenient, and broiling gets nearly the same effect as the grill.
• Really work the oil and seasoning in. When you smash the zucchini in this way, there are tons of crevices. Getting oil and seasoning in all of them leads to better overall browning and flavor.

serve it with…

This recipe pairs well with any summer staples like:

• Vegan Carrot Hot Dogs that actually taste like hot dogs!
• BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork is quick to make and packed with that barbecue flavor that screams summer like zucchini does.
• Easy BBQ Tofu can be grilled alongside the zucchini, so you never have to even turn on the oven for dinner!