Easy Grilled Zucchini Parmesan Recipe with Italian Twist
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This Grilled Zucchini Parmesan Recipe is a fantastic way to use up garden zucchini! Tender spears with Italian seasoning and cheese are SO delicious, and healthy too. It’s a scrumptious summer side dish! Perfect for busy weeknights!
If you’re wondering what to do with extra zucchini at the end of the growing season, this zucchini parmesan recipe is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to prepare it!
Another great use for extra zucchini is our absolutely tasty Air Fryer Zucchini Fries!!
Or, this 10-Minute Zucchini Noodles with Sausage is an easy favorite dinner, with oodles and oodles of zoodles.
If you don’t grow your own zucchini, no stress. One of the best things about zucchini is that you can get it pretty cheaply at the store.
I keep this amazing zucchini recipe handy for a main dish when I want to eat light or as a great way to feed the family members veggies!
Since you only need a handful of ingredients to make these zucchini slices, you will love making it for the first time.
The best part is taking that first bite of that golden brown zucchini!
Table of Contents
Zucchini Parmesan Recipe
Grilling is an absolute must in the summer. And, while there are many different ways to grill meat, I wanted to share one of our favorite ways to grill up healthy vegetables.
I love making this grilled zucchini recipe in the summer because it is ready, start to finish, in about 20 minutes.
Plus, it’s gluten-free and low carb, so it’s something that everyone on my guest list can enjoy without a problem.
As it gets warmer, I love being able to move my cooking outside onto the grill.
Have you tried our recipe for grilled Hawaiian ham kabobs? Or, how about spicy grilled corn? There are so many easy grilling recipes to try!!
Grilled Zucchini
Should you salt zucchini before cooking?
Adding salt to your zucchini helps draw out some of the water content, and it adds flavor as well.
But this grilled zucchini recipe uses a marinade, so there is no need to add extra salt to your squash.
Do you have to peel zucchini before grilling?
If you purchased your zucchini from the grocery store and the skin has been waxed, yes. You will need to peel the skin to remove the wax.
However, if the zucchini hasn’t been waxed, there is no need to peel it.
If you have a very large zucchini, you can peel it if you think that the skin is more bitter.
But, try it first to be sure, because the skin is loaded with flavor, fiber, and nutrients. If you’re the type of person that wants to peel the zucchini just because, go for it. You do the best way that works for you.
What size zucchini should I use for grilling?
Smaller zucchini have a sweeter flavor, so ideally, you don’t want to larger zucchini on the grill.
I look for medium-sized zucchini that are about 7″ long. But, if your Italian squash are larger or smaller, they will still work for this grilled zucchini recipe.
PRO TIP
If you’ll be making zucchini parmesan using extra large zucchini, you will want to remove the seeds before you make this recipe.
What other vegetables are good for grilling?
If you are all out of zucchini, you can use this same method to make grilled yellow squash, eggplant, bell pepper and onion wedges, or even grilled asparagus spears.
If the vegetables are especially small, you may want to grill them on foil instead to avoid them falling through the cracks.
Zucchini Parmesan FAQ
Yes, if you want to make grilled zucchini in foil packets rather than directly on the grates, you can. Simply make a boat out of the foil, then add the spears and the marinade.
Then, very carefully seal the foil and allow zucchini parmesan to cook for the total time. You can open the foil and turn the zucchini over partway through if you like. But, it isn’t necessary to do that to cook it completely.
All you need to do is to remove the grilled zucchini from the foil, and there is no extra clean up involved. That means more time to relax and spend with friends rather than inside doing dishes.
If you don’t have an outside grill, you can easily make this zucchini parmesan recipe on a stovetop grill pan — as long as the grill you use has ridges on it.
Something similar to a George Foreman indoor grill should work perfectly.
That all just depends on what you want for your own personal consumption. I love topping it with parmesan cheese, but you can easily add garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, fresh basil, onion powder, fresh garlic or fresh herbs, or anything else that you want.
The great thing about making this easy recipe is that you can make it any way that you want.
You can also add some mozzarella cheese, or have some marinara sauce for flavor. This is a great side dish to make for dinner tonight because it gives loads of flavor options!
Sure! If you want to cook this indoors, you can add the zucchini spears to a baking sheet in a single layer. Just know that you won’t have grill marks on them, but you will still be able to eat them in your favorite way.
You can also slice them in zucchini rounds and cook them on a sheet pan as well. I sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on them and sometimes even add finely grated Parmesan cheese to my baked zucchini. Add a spice mix to the whole batch to enhance the flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Zucchini on the grill makes a wonderful vegetable side dish that you can serve with any type of protein!
Here are a few suggestions that you might want to try when you make this zucchini parmesan recipe:
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Easy Grilling Recipes
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Easy Grilled Zucchini Parmesan Recipe with Italian Twist
Ingredients
- 4 small zucchini, about 1 pound
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, optional garnish
- Shredded parmesan cheese, optional garnish
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional garnish
Instructions
- In a rectangular pan, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning until well combined.
- Wash and dry zucchini. Cut zucchini into spears.
- Place zucchini spears in the rectangular pan and toss with the olive oil mixture until coated.
- Heat your grill to medium-high.
- Brush the grates of your grill with olive oil. You can also use a wadded up paper towel with oil on it, grip it with a grill tongs and rub it over the grates.
- Place the zucchini on the grill, using tongs, and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until tender.
- Remove from the grill and place on serving plate.
- Garnish with additional salt and pepper or Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published July 2020, updated and republished April 2025
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
Welcome!
We’re Donna and Chad, the dream team behind The Slow Roasted Italian. Our focus is on taking complicated OUT of the kitchen. Life is busy enough, making meals should be fast and easy, to help make your life as simple as possible. Read More >>
We love this recipe! My husband is a zucchini-hater – or I should say WAS a zucchini hater. This is the perfect way to prepare them – crisp tender, flavorful, and easy! Thanks Donna!
I was always wary of trying Zucchini, but ever since I tried your Zoodles I’ve been hooked! I make them every week. Love all the Zucchini recipes, will be on the look out for more!