Vegetarian Recipes

Perfect Grilled Zucchini

https://www.loveandlemons.com/grilled-zucchini/

If your fridge is stuffed with zucchini but it’s too hot to make zucchini bread, crispy baked zucchini, or stuffed zucchini boats, what should you cook? Grilled zucchini, of course! A lot of the time, I grill zucchini along with a mix of other rainbow veggies, but lately, we’ve had so much of it on hand that I’ve been grilling it up on its own. Luckily for us, it’s a delicious summer side dish.

While a lot of grilled zucchini recipes call for slicing the squash into thin slabs, I like to cut it into wedges. This way, the zucchini keeps a nice bite as it cooks. Lightly charred & tender, these perfect grilled zucchini wedges are great on their own, so you can stop there if you want. However, I highly recommend that you take them one step further by serving them with lemony Greek yogurt, fresh herbs, and feta. This preparation is so easy to toss together, and it transforms the plain grilled zucchini into a bright & simple, yet elevated, side dish.

Grilled Zucchini Recipe Ingredients

This easy grilled zucchini recipe uses just a few ingredients, but it’s loaded with tangy flavor and lots of yummy textures. Here’s what you need to make it:

Zucchini! A mix of yellow squash and zucchini would work here too.
Lemon. I squeeze the juice over the hot grilled zucchini and mix the zest into the creamy yogurt base.
Greek yogurt. An extra-thick yogurt makes the perfect tangy, smooth base for the grilled veggies.
Garlic. I finely grate one clove to give the yogurt an extra kick.
Feta. Sprinkle the platter generously with the feta for tangy, salty flavor.
Mint leaves. They’re a delightful fresh garnish for the bright zucchini and tangy yogurt.
Red pepper flakes. A pop of color and a little heat are the perfect finishing touches for this recipe.

That’s it! Slather a platter with the lemony yogurt, and pile it high with the grilled zucchini, feta, fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes.

How to Grill Zucchini

Once you’ve chopped your zucchini, grilling it is easy! Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat, and toss the zucchini wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

When the grill is hot, grill the wedges cut-side-down for about 2 minutes. Then, flip them and grill them skin-side-down for an additional 3-4 minutes, until grill marks form.

Remove the zucchini from the grill and transfer it to a plate or large bowl. While it’s still hot, toss it with lemon juice. Enjoy it as-is, or proceed with the recipe below!

What to Serve with Grilled Zucchini

Serve this grilled zucchini recipe as a side with whatever you’re grilling or with a summer pasta like this veggie penne pasta, mushroom pasta, pasta pomodoro, or pesto pasta. It’d be great with a hearty couscous or pasta salad too.

Alternatively, get some good crusty bread, add few handfuls of roasted chickpeas, and call it dinner on its own!

Try tossing leftover grilled zucchini into orzo or thinly slicing it and adding it to a grilled cheese sandwich.

If you love this grilled zucchini recipe…

Try grilling asparagus, portobello mushrooms, corn, or veggie skewers next!

Grilled Zucchini

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Side dish

3 small-medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, cut in half horizontally
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 small lemon

½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
Zest of 1 small lemon
½ garlic clove, finely minced
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup fresh mint
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a grill to high heat. Toss the zucchini lightly with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Grill cut side-down for 2 minutes, then flip and grill skin-side down for 3 to 4 minutes or until char marks form. Remove from the grill, transfer to a plate, and squeeze with lemon juice.
In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread the yogurt on a medium serving platter, top with the zucchini, feta, mint, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste and serve.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

Just like vegetable lasagne, vegetarian moussaka is one of those dishes that I adore, but I rarely cook for myself, because it always seems like such a huge effort. Cooking lentils, boiling potatoes, grilling slices of eggplant, simmering tomato sauce… the vast majority of the time, I really, truly can not be bothered.

That’s why this vegetable moussaka casserole is such a revelation! It’s a casserole-style version of my favourite veggie moussaka, which tastes just the same, but is so much less effort to make! Just stick everything in a baking dish and let it do its thing, casserole-style.

A spoon taking a scoop from a baking dish of cheesy moussaka casserole.

This moussaka casserole has two sections:

a tasty tomatoey layer underneath, made with all the usual ingredients you’d expect to find in a vegetable moussaka – tender lentils, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant and roasted potatoes, cooked in a rich tomato sauce
a thick layer of creamy bechamel sauce on top

As you scoop into the casserole, the creamy sauce drips down and smothers the tomatoey layer. It. Is. Delicious.

How is this Easier than a Regular Vegetarian Moussaka?

I’m not going to lie, this vegetable moussaka casserole takes quite a long time to bake, and the ingredients list is a fair bit longer than the majority of my easy recipes.

However, I stand by the fact that this is so much easier to make than most moussaka recipes. Although it takes a while to cook, it’s almost all hands-off time, where you can go and relax / do some other useful jobs / play with your kids / whatever else you like to do with your life.

Vegetarian moussaka casserole topped with sliced tomato.

This vegetarian moussaka casserole is easy to make because:

using canned lentils mean there’s no boiling required.
the vegetables are roasted in the oven, rather than the more hands-on method of cooking them on the stovetop.
there’s no fiddly layering of sliced ingredients – it’s all baked up together.
even the tomatoey sauce is cooked right there in the oven with the other ingredients.

It’s definitely not a quick weeknight dinner, but if you’re at home over the weekend, it’s the perfect dish to have baking in the oven while you’re busy with other things.

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Overhead shot of a cheesy topped moussaka casserole with sliced tomatoes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

potatoes
eggplant (aubergine)
canned lentils (mine were green lentils)
onion – I only used half an onion (a small onion would also work!)
canned tomatoes
tomato paste
garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar (my favourite time-saving ingredient!)
dried herbs – mint and oregano. I very rarely use dried mint but trust me, it tastes amazing in moussaka! Not a hint of toothpaste, I promise.
tomato – to slice up for the topping
milk, flour and butter – for the creamy white sauce. You can add a pinch of nutmeg to it as well, if you like.

Becca’s Top Tip

I used the same baking dish to roast up my vegetables, and then to cook the casserole itself. If you’ve got a little less time on your hands, the veggies will actually roast a little quicker if you spread them out on a baking tray – but I wanted to save on dishes to wash! I love a one pot meal.

Recipe Video

Overhead shot of a portion of vegetable moussaka with salad.

Printable Instructions

Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

This vegetable moussaka casserole is a much easier version of a vegetarian moussaka – but is just as tasty, with a luxurious creamy topping!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 35

Total Time 2

Servings

Calories 523kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the lentil layer:

1 medium eggplant (aubergine) (~ 250g / ~ 9 oz)
~ 500g (~ 1 lb) potatoes
1 medium onion (or 1/2 large onion)
2 Tbsp oil
400 g tinned lentils, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the topping:

60 g (~ 2 oz) butter
60 g (~ 2 oz) plain flour
500 ml (~ 2 cups) milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 large tomato, sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
Cut the eggplant, potatoes and onion into 2cm dice (I didn’t bother peeling the potatoes). Toss them in a little oil, and add to a baking dish – mine measured approx. 8 x 8 inches.
Roast the vegetables in the centre of the oven for around 50 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking, or until the vegetables are fairly soft (the potatoes might still be a bit al dente). If you decide to spread the vegetables out onto a baking tray instead of using the dish, they will cook more quickly.
Add the tinned lentils, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, and dried herbs, and mix well to combine.
Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have thickened up into a rich sauce. Mix well.
To make the béchamel topping, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the flour. Mix to create a thick paste (a roux), and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth each time before adding more milk. Season to taste with salt. If you need more detailed instructions, check out my white sauce recipe.
Pour the béchamel sauce over the lentil mixture, and top with a few slices of tomato.
Return to the oven for a final 25 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.
Allow to stand for a few minutes, then serve.

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare moussaka in advance?

Absolutely! The casserole can either be cooked entirely and then reheated when needed, or you can assemble it, then do the final bake just before serving.

Can I freeze leftover moussaka?

Moussaka is perfect for batch cooking – just transfer any leftovers to a freezer-safe tub, and freeze. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave.