Roasted Zucchini with Garlic Parmesan

Want to learn how to roast zucchini in the oven? This oven roasted zucchini recipe will guide you step-by-step (photos included!) through exactly how to make roasted zucchini with just a handful of ingredients, yet packed with maximum flavor.

Generously coated in garlic and parmesan, these roasted zucchini spears come out crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and full of incredible flavor. And if you’d rather cut yours into rounds or zucchini slices instead of spears, we’ve got you covered too!

Don’t forget to also check out these other yummy veggie favorites such as Fresh Green Bean Casserole, Roasted Whole Carrots and Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes.

What is Zucchini?

Quick fun fact: zucchini is actually a type of summer squash! That’s why you’ll sometimes see it labeled “zucchini squash” at the grocery store.

Zucchini has a mild flavor and tender texture, which is exactly why it soaks up seasonings — like the garlic and parmesan here — so well. This same roasted zucchini method also works great if you want to swap in yellow squash.

Oven Roasted Zucchini Spears

If zucchinis are one of your least favorite veggies, don’t give up on it just yet…give this Roasted Zucchini Spears recipe a try! You might just change your mind.

Zucchini itself has a mild flavor, and because of that they are sometimes considered fairly bland. That is why we are bringing bold flavor and texture to this Oven Roasted Zucchini – loading it with lots of fresh garlic and parmesan, and baking it until the outsides are crispy.

By adding just two simple ingredients and roasting these zucchinis in the oven, it becomes a total game-changer. There are other way to season your roasted zucchini – see “Variation and Substitution” below section for more ideas.

P/S: we don’t only love garlic parmesan on our zucchinis. This gorgeous flavor combination works on so many things, such as Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes, Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings, Easy Garlic Parmesan Asparagus. Seriously delicious.

Have an air fryer and want to make this in the air fryer? Check out my Air Fryer Zucchini!

Zucchini is a super healthy and delicious vegetable, full of Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium, Vitamin A, has lots of antioxidants, and is low in fat and sugar. There are so many benefits to eating it.

It’s typically in season during the late summer and very budget-friendly. Plus, it’s a great complement to any protein or main dishes.

So we are on a mission here. Let’s make this roasted zucchini so tasty so that you’d actually want to eat them (and enjoy every bite!).

Looking for more zucchini recipes? Also check out my Grilled Chicken Zoodles, where zucchini noodles are used in placed of regular noodles as a low-carb substitute, or Thai Red Curry with Chicken or Coconut Curry Chicken Soup, where zuchinni is cooked alongside other veggies and chicken in a zesty, creamy coconut curry broth.

Ingredients

We are keeping this roasted zucchini spears recipe fairly simple here, using a few basic, pantry-friendly ingredients:

• Zucchini: Use 3-4 medium size zucchinis (3 if they’re extra-large, 4 if smaller). Slice into spears, rounds, or half-moons, depending on how you like your roasted zucchini – see step-by-step slicing instructions below. If slicing into smaller shapes, reduce bake time.
• Fresh garlic: Mince it finely – avoid substituting with garlic powder, which won’t give you that same fresh, punchy flavor.
• Parmesan cheese: Grated. You can buy it pre-grated, or grate a block yourself by cutting it into chunks and pulsing it in the food processor (fastest way!). I find that shredded parmesan tends to work less well since it’s harder for it to stick to the zucchini.
• Olive oil: Or another cooking oil – vegetable, canola, or avocado oil all work.
• Salt and black pepper: To season.

How to Roast Zucchini

Oven Roasted Zucchini Spears is my favorite way to cook a zucchini side dish because it allows me to thoroughly season the zucchini and cook it quickly under high heat in the oven in order to crisp the outside without overcooking the insides.

And because it is sliced into spears, there’s a lot of surface to generously coat zucchini in the most flavorful and tasty seasonings. More seasonings = tastier zucchini!

Step 1: Prepare zucchini

Before seasoning and roasting the zucchinis, let’s first prepare the zucchini itself.

Scrub and wash whole zucchini under running water and then slice it into quarters.

There’s no need to remove the skin. Slice off the top and bottom, then slice it into half lengthwise, and then slice the half into quarters lengthwise.

You should get four spears from each zucchini.

If you have a large zucchini, you can slice each of the spears into half if you prefer them shorter, but it is not necessary.

Once all the zucchinis are sliced, place zucchini spears on a paper towel and then use another piece of paper towel to dab on the top of zucchini spears to remove moisture.

Zucchinis tend to have a lot of moisture in them, so we want to remove excess moisture as much as we can so that they are not wet and soggy. This will also help crisp up the zucchini.

This is an important step when making Roasted Zucchini!

Step 2: Season zucchini

A solid seasoning can make or break your oven roasted zucchini dish!

Bring zucchini spears into a large rectangular dish so that they can lay flat on the dish.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper.

Pour mixture onto zucchinis and toss with your hands to coat.

Add grated parmesan on there, and toss again to combine.

Step 4: Bake!

To make sure Zucchini is crispy and not soggy when baked, top the baking sheet with a baking rack. Place a parchment paper or aluminum foil in between them to catch drippings and make cleanup easier.

Spray baking rack with cooking oil spray, then place zucchini spears on the baking rack.

Zucchini spears can be placed right next to each other but avoid overlapping them.

Be sure to scoop up all the parmesan and garlic pieces and place them on top of the zucchini spears. They bring flavor to your zucchinis and will become the crunchy golden brown top we all know and love, so don’t let them go to waste!

Bake in the oven at 425℉ for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and bubbly.

And that is it – garlic parmesan roasted zucchini that is crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside, and full of fantastic flavors.

If you need only one zucchini recipe in your life, THIS IS IT!!!

This is almost always the way I make zucchini as a side dish. It’s quick, healthy-ish (let’s conveniently ignore the amount of parmesan I added to it), delicious, and hard to mess up!

Zucchini Rounds and Slices

If you cut your zucchini into rounds or slices, you can still use this same method to bake them in the oven.

The only difference is that you should reduce cook time by a few minutes. Check at the 15-minute mark to see if zucchinis are brown – if they are, remove from oven promptly.

Substitution and Variation

My goal here is to show you how to roast zucchini in the simplest, most basic way possible (that is still crazy delicious, of course). You can definitely jazz it up, make it fancier, and put your on twist to it! In fact, I encourage it!

Here are other items you can add to this baked zucchini spears recipe if you’d like, and I would love to hear more ideas if you have them!

• Fresh herbs: Swap in or add thyme, rosemary, dill, Italian seasoning, basil, or oregano to the seasoning mix for a different flavor twist.
• Extra cheese: For all my cheese lovers out there…top with more parmesan after baking, or add a little mozzarella and pop it back in the oven for a minute to melt.
• Fresh garnish: Finish with chopped fresh herbs like parsley, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest for brightness.
• Add a kick: Sprinkle some chili powder on top for a hint of spice.
• Dipping sauce: Serve with ranch or your favorite creamy dip on the side.

Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

Storage: Keep leftover roasted zucchini in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheating: Reheat in the oven or toaster oven so the zucchini crisps back up. Microwaving will leave it soft and soggy instead of crispy.

Make ahead: You can slice and season the zucchini a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake — just note that fresh-cut zucchini crisps up best, so I don’t recommend prepping it more than a day in advance.

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More Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

• Easy Garlic Parmesan Asparagus
• Garlic Honey Roasted Carrots
• Broccoli au Gratin
• Garlic Sautéed Spinach
• Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Asian Style Green Beans
• Caramelized Onions Sautéed Green Beans
• Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
• Crispy Baked Potato Skins