Zucchini with Parmesan

I love Zucchini. Love. it. Its goes with so much, looks adorable, and is squashtastic. I am also making up for lost time. It wasn't until three years ago I started eating it so I feel the need eat my body's weight in it, apparently.

I found this recipe in Barefoot Contessa's "Family Style" which has a plethora great recipes. Many are meat oriented but she had tons of vegetables and neat ideas in general. Her books are very much worth checking out.

This is a simple yet incredibly satisfying recipe. This is a side dish that could easily overshadow a lesser main dish. It would go with pasta, pizza, or an Eggplant gratin: Eggplant Gratin!

I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the simple flavors of this dish, I wish I had better pictures because this dish was delightful.

As I mentioned above, this recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa, who I love so very much. She is so clever and has great recipes, they are just often not super healthy. I am learning that I can tweak her recipes and still get great dishes. Like last weeks ranch dressing, using low fat mayo and 0% fat greek yogurt still made an awesome dressing. The Barefoot, as I loving refer to her, is someone who I feel teaches me about cooking with her recipes. I like to read her for bed time just for fun, its oddly additive.

I used shallots in this recipe even though it called for yellow onions. I am on a shallot kick, but you can use either. What is wonderful about this dish is the onions lightly carmelize adding a lovely sweetness to the overall flavor. Onions and zucchini are like bread and cheese, they just always work. I also added the garlic, because why wouldn't you when eating zucchini and garlic? Plus garlic is great for your body, so use it if you have it, but no worries if you don't.

Please enjoy!

Zucchini with Parmesan

The Goods: Serves 2-3 as side dish

3 medium zucchini
1 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 shallots(or 2 large yellow onions), diced
1/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese
Good Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground pepper

The Deal: 
1. Remove the ends of the zucchini and cut in half lengthwise. Then slice diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat in a large saute pan and add garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant about 1 minute. Add onions and cook on medium low heat, until they start to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the zucchini a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally for 10-15 minutes. They should be lightly browned and just cooked through.

4. Sprinkle with Parmesan and cook 30 seconds more and then remove from heat. Serve immediately.