Easy Zucchini Antipasti
Zucchini antipasti is the perfect side dish or appetizer in the summer months when zucchini is in peak season and has the best flavor. This flavorful recipe is one of many different ways to use up an abundance of zucchini and is both vegan and gluten-free.
Looking for more zucchini recipes? Try my zucchini pesto, Spanish zucchini omelet, or zucchini pancakes.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this antipasti zucchini:
- Zucchini – the main ingredient.
- Fresh garlic cloves – infuse into the olive oil for more flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper – to taste.
- Fresh herbs – fresh basil, parsley, dill, or fresh mint leaves. I used basil.
How to Make Zucchini Antipasti: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
1. Infuse the garlic into the oil. Heat the olive oil in a high-walled Dutch oven pot over medium-low heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and cook for about 10-15 seconds stirring often so it doesn’t burn. Remove them from the oil.
2. Cook the zucchini. Increase to medium heat and add the sliced zucchini. Cook on each side for a few minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, shaking off any excess oil, and add it to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the cooked zucchini with a pinch of salt. Continue this process until you’ve cooked all the zucchini.
3. Season to taste. Spoon a few tablespoons of olive oil from the pot (that was used to cook the zucchini) over the zucchini along with a splash of balsamic vinegar, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh basil leaves.
Helpful Tips
- Choose small or medium zucchini over large ones. Large zucchini don’t have as much flavor and tend to be a little more bitter.
- Don’t want to turn on the stove? You can also grill them or use a griddle pan. If you go either of these routes, you’ll only need a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
- If your zucchini is taking too long to cook, it’s likely too overcrowded in the pan.
- Don’t throw the leftover olive oil away. It’s infused with lots of flavor from the zucchini. Repurpose it into a simple vinaigrette.
Quick Tip: The round zucchini slices should be semi-thick, otherwise they’ll lose their shape or fall apart as they cook.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this antipasti zucchini recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No balsamic vinegar? – use red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or fresh lemon juice.
- Add-ins: red pepper flakes, thinly sliced red onion or shallot, yellow summer squash or squash blossoms for a pop of color, spring onion/green onion, or red bell pepper.
How To Serve
This side dish can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Enjoy it as a salad topper, over pasta such as Margherita pasta, on a sandwich, tacos, avocado toast with marinated tomatoes, bowls, as a simple snack by itself, and much more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Antipasti in Italian means the dish you eat before the meal (what we’d call an appetizer). These are typically enjoyed with a glass of wine or olives before the main course. Antipasti is plural and antipasto is singular. Because the zucchini is cut into pieces, it’s plural and therefore called zucchini antipasti.
No, zucchini skin is very thin and flavorful and will help the slices keep their shape.
More Zucchini Recipes
I hope you love this Zucchini Antipasti! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating so I know how you liked it!
Easy Zucchini Antipasti
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1½ pounds zucchini sliced into roughly ¼ – ½ inch rounds
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- fresh basil leaves
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a high-walled Dutch oven pot over medium low heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and cook for about 10-15 seconds stirring often so it doesn’t burn. Remove them from the oil and discard.
- Increase to medium heat and add the sliced zucchini. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, shaking off any excess oil, and add it to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the cooked zucchini with a pinch of salt. Continue this process until you've cooked all the zucchini.
- Spoon over a few tablespoons of olive oil from the pot (that was used to cook the zucchini). Along with a splash of balsamic vinegar, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh basil leaves.