Roasted Zucchini

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This Roasted Zucchini is meltingly tender, to the point that it's custardy enough to eat with a spoon. Based on a method made popular as the "Thomas Keller method," it will be the only way you will ever want to make and eat zucchini for the rest of your life. Is that an exaggeration? Try it and you tell me. (Spoiler alert: not an exaggeration). Shall we?

So first of all, what exactly is the "Thomas Keller method" of roasting zucchini? It's a method that world-renowned Chef Thomas Keller shared via a Masterclass, that then went viral on tiktok. Chef Keller:

Tiktokers called the zucchini "life-changing" and while that's not a surprising description for any dish that comes from the mind of Chef Keller, it is surprising that it's for zucchini which is sort of an NPC of the vegetable world, and that the method is actually fairly simple. Chef Keller's recipes are famously long and complicated, to say the least.

The complete recipe from the Masterclass includes a sauce vierge, a French fresh chopped tomato sauce, something like a , to top the Roasted Zucchini. However, the only thing that matters is the zucchini roasting method.

Ever one to lean toward Asian flavors, I brush the Roasted Zucchini with a miso glaze for a savory, subtle sweetness. In this house, it gets demanded for dinner as "Melting Miso Zucchini."

For the Roasted Zucchini, you only need:

That's it! Seriously!

And if you'd like to level up with the Miso Glaze, which I always do because why wouldn't you, you still only need a few ingredients. Here's what you need:

This method for slicing and oven-roasting zucchini is so easy! There are a couple of steps, none of which are complicated at all. Most of the steps are non-active, "waiting" time.

Heat oven on 400°F. Slice zucchini into halves length-wise. You can leave the stem end on for aesthetics if you'd like, or cut it off, which might be necessary to fit the pan.

Using the tip of your knife, cut a cross-hatch pattern into the cut-side of each zucchini half. Each cut only needs to be about ¼ to ⅛-inch deep.

Sprinkle the cut side of each zucchini with a little bit of sea salt. Turn the zucchini halves over so the salted, cut sides are face down on a paper towel, or in a colander set over a bowl to catch any water. Let the zucchini drain 15-20 minutes. The salt and paper towels will pull out a LOT of water from the zucchini.

Very quickly rinse the cut side of each zucchini under running tap water to get rid of any salt. You don't want the zucchini to re-absorb any water after you just spent 20 minutes trying to drain them! Blot the cut sides with an absorbent kitchen towel or fresh paper towels to thoroughly dry them off. Make sure the zucchini are as dry as possible.

Heat a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan over medium heat, add 1-2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point like avocado oil, and place the zucchini cut-side down in the pan.

Cook zucchini until deep golden brown, about 7 minutes, as pictured above. You can use a pair of tongs to gently lift up an end of the zucchini to peek at the underside, but try not to completely flip the zucchini over. The zucchini will be fairly tender, and might fall apart.

Once the cut sides are deeply golden brown, place the cast iron skillet or oven-proof pan in the 400°F oven. Roast for 15 minutes or until zucchini are meltingly soft when pierced with a fork. If your zucchini are larger, you may need to add a few more minutes.

Make Miso Glaze (is using): While the zucchini are roasting in the oven, make the Miso Glaze by whisking together miso, maple syrup or honey, and sake in a small bowl. Add filtered a teaspoon at a time until the glaze is the consistency of a thin barbecue sauce.

When the zucchini are meltingly tender, remove the pan from the oven. If you are going to use the Miso Glaze, turn the zucchini over so they are cut side up, and brush lightly with miso glaze. Otherwise, if you are not using the Miso Glazing, serve the zucchini as is or with any other sauce or condiment.

Return skillet with zucchini cut, glazed side up to oven under the broiler for 3 minutes until miso glaze just starts to bubble. Remove pan from oven. Garnish zucchini with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions if using.

Any regular green zucchini, about 1½-inches to 2-inches in diameter each is best for this Roasted Zucchini recipe. Yellow zucchini or summer squash also work perfectly well. I prefer buying zucchini organic not only because we keep the skins on, but also because there are some genetically modified zucchini and summer squash available in grocery stores.

The type of zucchini is less important than the size. A little smaller is ok, but zucchini that are too large, like the ones you get toward the end of the summer season that are the size of your forearm, are going to be bitter and full of too much water to work very well for this recipe. Use those oversize zucchini for Zucchini Bread and stick with regular sized zucchini for this recipe.

Zucchini's biggest health benefits are fiber and the hydration it provides with its over 90% water content by volume. And while it's not particularly nutrient dense, zucchini does provide measurable amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and the mineral potassium.

The Oven Roasted Zucchini recipe as presented with the miso glaze, is:

With so few ingredients in this recipe, there aren't a lot of substitutions. That being said, you can substitute:

You can also make small adjustments to the Miso Glaze to suit certain diets or lifestyles:

As I always say, you don't need any special equipment to make almost any recipe. However, that's not to say there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it a LOT easier to get Roasted Zucchini from your fridge to fork.

Paired with a bowl of steamed rice or quinoa, this Roasted Zucchini can be a perfect, light vegetarian meal in the summer. However, if you'd like to add some protein, more color, or make the zucchini a full side dish to a larger main dish, here are some ideas for what else to serve with Roasted Zucchini:

Sarah is a professional recipe developer, writer, editor, and digital content creator with almost 20 years of experience cooking both at home and in professional kitchens, entertaining, catering for private clients. She studied Nutritional Science in college and promotes happy healthy living through food.

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