“I haven’t even tried this yet, and I already know it is going to be in my top five favorite vegetable dishes”. That is what Trevor told me as he watched me make this, and his prediction came true. Grilled garden fresh zucchini is amazing on it’s own, but add this simple dressing and creamy ricotta, and you take it to a new, devour-every-bite, level.
I highly recommend using homemade ricotta, which is so easy to make and high yield when it comes to improved flavor and texture compared to store-bought. I also now only use this method of removing some moisture out the zucchini a little before grilling. The zucchini comes out tender, crisp, and never soggy every time.
Grilled Zucchini & Lemon with Ricotta
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then widthwise
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
- ½ lemon
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6-8 mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic or white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup fresh ricotta
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
- Season zucchini with 1½ teaspoons salt. Let sit 10 minutes. Zucchini will sweat and release some moisture. After 10 minutes, pat dry.
- Drizzle zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Grill zucchini about 2-3 minutes per side until tender but still crisp. Grill lemon half about 1-2 minutes until warm and brown grill marks appear. Remove zucchini and lemon when done and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, mint leaves, garlic, vinegar, rushed red pepper flakes, and honey. Squeeze in the juice of the grilled lemon half. Whisk together until well combined and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together ricotta and cream until smooth and creamy. Spread on the bottom of a serving plate. Top with zucchini. Sprinkle hazelnuts on top. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetite
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