A 10 minute side dish for busy weeknights, zucchini and green beans are quickly sautéed in olive oil then finished with lemon juice.
We don’t have a vegetable garden but I have a standing date with my farmers market every Saturday morning that makes up for it. I sneak out bright and early to beat the crowds and to get my hands on the best, most vibrant produce picked just hours earlier.
Zucchini is growing like weeds right now and I’m thrilled because it’s cheap, versatile and packed in nutrients. Just one cup has around 20 calories, which is 40-50% less than one cup of other veggies like broccoli or Brussels. Read: you can eat more!
We love stir-frying it with ground turkey, shredding it into baked goods or sharing it into ribbons for a fresh summer salad. Most recently, I sautéed it with green beans for a quick weeknight side dish.
To brighten up the flavor, I added lemon juice at the very end and sprinkled the plate with crumbled blue cheese and minced scallions before serving. The whole dish came together in just 10 minutes and cost pennies per serving.
Your fork is waiting.
Zucchini and Green Bean Sauté
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 large zucchini halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound trimmed green beans cut in bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch red chili flakes
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese feta or shredded parmesan – optional garnish
- red chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle the olive oil. Add zucchini, green beans, salt and pepper to the pan.
- Sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables become bright green and crisp-tender, about 7-9 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in scallions, lemon juice and garnish with cheese and red chili flakes to serve.
Nutrition
Want more seasonal eating inspiration? My beautiful and talented friend Becky is the queen of seasonal eating which is why I’m so thrilled to be participating in her monthly #EatSeasonal celebration.
M Rose
This was tasty. I added beans 2 minutes before the zucchini; next time I’ll add 3 minutes before and cut zucchini thicker, maybe 1/4 inch.
Liz DellaCroce
Great idea!
Rachel
This was so delicious! I’ve never actually commented on a recipe but this was so good. I usually favor the garlic and butter route for my zucchini and green beans but I wanted to try something new. I’m so glad I did! I’ll do this recipe way more often than the other now. I didn’t have blue cheese so I threw some feta in instead. So good!
Liz DellaCroce
So happy you enjoyed this!!
Anna Lombardozzi
Looks so delicious cooking, cant wait to eat this with our dinner…
Liz DellaCroce
I hope you love it!
vanessa
What is the second tablespoon of olive oil for?
Liz DellaCroce
My gosh I’m not sure why it says that! Ironically I just made this just this week for lunch. You only need one tablespoon. I adjusted the recipe – so sorry about that!