Skillet Zucchini and Mushrooms

This skillet zucchini and mushrooms is one of those simple sides I keep coming back to. One pan, twenty minutes, and it genuinely tastes like something — garlicky, savory, a little buttery. It goes with almost everything.

Why You’ll Love It

Ready in 20 minutes — one pan, minimal cleanup
Big garlic-herb flavor — the mushrooms brown beautifully and the broth ties it all together
Works any time of year — great in summer with garden zucchini, just as good in winter
Endlessly versatile — serve it as a side, fold it into eggs the next morning, or pile it over rice

About the Ingredients

The mushrooms are important. I use plain button mushrooms most of the time — the small ones, not the big ones that look like something out of a fairy tale. You can use baby bellas if you want, they’re a little earthier. What you cannot do is skip cleaning them properly. I know you’ve probably heard that you should never wash mushrooms, just brush them off, and listen, I used to believe that too, but I have rinsed mushrooms plenty of times and I’ve survived. Just pat them very dry afterward and don’t let them sit in water like they’re taking a bath.
The garlic — I use four cloves. Sometimes more.
For the herbs, thyme and oregano are the ones I come back to. Dried works fine. Fresh is better if you have it, but I’m not going to make you feel bad if you’re using the jar from two years ago that still has some smell left in it.
The broth is a quarter cup. Just a little. It’s not a sauce situation, it’s more like — it loosens everything up and picks up the brown bits from the bottom. Use whatever you have. Vegetable broth if you’re keeping it vegetarian, chicken broth if you’re not fussed about it.
And the parmesan at the end is non-negotiable. I know the ingredient list says it’s optional but I’m telling you, don’t skip it.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
About 3 tablespoons butter, divided — I use salted, though you probably shouldn’t
2 small zucchini, cut into thin half-moon slices (thinner than you think, about a quarter inch)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 small yellow onion, diced pretty fine
1 pound small button mushrooms, cleaned and dried well
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 5, I’m not the boss of you)
About 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs — thyme, oregano, or both — or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ cup vegetable broth
Fresh parsley, chopped, for the top
Grated parmesan, as much as you want

How to Make It

Get your skillet hot over medium-high heat — this is not a low-and-slow situation, you want some actual heat so the zucchini gets a little color instead of steaming into mush. Add the olive oil and half a tablespoon of the butter. When the butter’s melted and the oil’s shimmering, in go the zucchini slices.
Season them with salt and pepper right away. Cook for about three to four minutes, stirring once or twice. You want them fork-tender but not falling apart. Remove them to a plate and set aside. If there’s a bunch of liquid in the pan — zucchini releases water, which is annoying — just wipe it out. A folded paper towel works. Be careful, the pan is hot.
Return the pan to the heat and add the rest of the butter. Once it’s melted, add the onion. Two minutes, just to soften it. Then the mushrooms go in, and here’s where you need a little patience — don’t touch them too much. Let them sit and get brown on one side before you start stirring. Five to seven minutes total. You’ll know they’re ready when they’ve lost their raw white look and picked up some color.
Stir in the garlic and herbs. Twenty seconds, maybe thirty. Don’t walk away from the pan here because garlic burns fast and burnt garlic ruins everything — I learned that the hard way the first time I tried to make shrimp scampi, which is a whole other disaster I won’t get into right now.
Return the zucchini to the pan. Stir everything together and give it about a minute to heat back through. Pour in the broth and let it cook down for two minutes. Taste it. Adjust the salt. Take it off the heat.
Finish with the parsley and a generous handful of parmesan.

Variations

A squeeze of lemon at the very end is good — I resisted it for a long time and then tried it and had to admit it works. Yellow squash in place of zucchini is also great if you can find it; more color, same texture.
I’ve done a version with shallots instead of onion. Fancier, sweeter. Worth it if you have them on hand and want to feel like you’re making something from a bistro menu.
One time I added cherry tomatoes along with everything and it was too wet. I’m telling you this so you don’t make the same mistake. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

Leftovers

This keeps in the fridge for a few days. Three days, maybe four. I usually eat the leftovers for lunch the next day — they’re good cold, weirdly, with some crackers or a piece of bread, but if you want them warm, just put them in a pan over low heat for a few minutes. The microwave makes everything soggy and I never use it for vegetables if I can help it.
You can also fold the leftovers into scrambled eggs the next morning for a quick mushroom scramble. It’s good. Trust me on that one.

Serve this alongside anything, really. A piece of salmon. A pork chop. Grilled chicken if that’s your thing. It also works as the main event if you’re just having a light night — a bowl of this over some rice or with a crusty piece of bread and you’re set.
I was going to say something else just now and completely lost the thought. Oh well. Just make the dish. The skillet will thank you.