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Make these beautiful sauteed vegetables to celebrate summer’s bounty! A medley of fresh summer veggies, including zucchini or summer squash, corn, and tomatoes, is tossed in a bit of browned butter for depth of flavor. Easy and fresh.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
Why You’ll Love This Sauteed Vegetables Recipe
This naturally gluten-free sautéed vegetables recipe highlights the best flavors and ingredients of the season. Like my Balsamic Roasted Vegetables, this is a dish that’s big on flavor and low on effort. Look at this recipe as a general guide for how to make a gorgeously fresh veggie saute with whatever you have in the fridge or growing in the garden. I love to visit my local farmers’ market and pick up whatever looks good that week, and then I’ll make this sauté.
It’s a wonderful accompaniment to everything from Garlic Butter Chicken to Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce. What else can I say? This vegetable medley is simple perfection.
- Let the vegetables shine. You don’t need much when summer vegetables are this good! Maximize their fresh flavor with minimal seasonings.
- Easiest side ever. Most of the work is in the prep, and even that is basic.
- Fast. While I estimated that it takes about 30 minutes to make this dish, most of the time it goes much quicker. This is one of the quickest and best sides you can make.
- Versatile. Serve sautéed veggies tossed in pasta, over rice, or Cheddar Cheese Quinoa with a few scrambled eggs to make a vegetarian meal, or as a side dish to so many mains.
What You’ll Need
These are my favorite vegetables for a summer veggie sauté, and I’ve included some other options lower down in the “tips” section if you want to try some others. Make sure to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Zucchini: You can use zucchini or yellow summer squash, or a combination.
- Tomatoes: I like to use grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Corn: Use fresh ears of corn for the best flavor.
- Butter: I usually use unsalted butter, but salted butter works, too. Vegan butter is great for a dairy free alternative.
- Scallion: Feel free to add more scallions if you like.
- Salt and Pepper: Kosher salt and black pepper add a little seasoning.
- Parsley
How to Saute Vegetables
See my step-by-step photos below to get an idea of how the vegetables will look at each stage of the cooking process. I’ve included the full instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Prepare the veggies. Prep all of your veggies and have them ready.
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter over medium-low heat until it browns, then cook the scallions.
- Cook squash. Saute the zucchini.
- Add remaining vegetables. Toss in the tomatoes and corn and season with salt and pepper.
- Add parsley. Stir in the parsley.
- Serve! Stir and serve immediately.
Tips and Variation Ideas
- Cook longer or shorter. You can cook the vegetables to your desired level of doneness. I like my veggies to be tender yet still a bit firm; adjust the cooking time as needed to suit your preference.
- Try other vegetables. Almost any vegetable is suitable for sautéing. Some other options include green beans, eggplant, mushrooms, parboiled broccoli or cauliflower, carrots, and peas (use fresh peas or toss in a handful of frozen peas at the end of the cooking time).
- Make it paleo and keto-friendly. Use ghee in place of the butter to make this into a paleo side dish. For a keto-friendly version, leave out the corn and use extra squash or another low-carb vegetable.
- Dairy-free. Swap dairy-free butter for the butter or try olive oil.
- Add garlic. Add a clove or two of minced garlic to the veggies for extra flavor.
- Fresh herbs. Chop up fresh seasonal herbs like basil, oregano, or dill and sprinkle them into the pan.
How to Store and Reheat Extras
- Fridge – Transfer cooled leftover sautéed veggies to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat – Gently rewarm the vegetables in a skillet set over medium heat on the stove, stirring and tossing them until heated through. Or, place the vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl and heat them for about 1 minute in the microwave.
Make It a Meal
There aren’t many main dishes that don’t go with a vegetable sauté, and you can even use the vegetables as a base for a salad topped with crisp lettuce and a light lemony vinaigrette. Some other options include:
- Add sauces! While I love the simplicity of the brown butter sauté, you can also dress these veggies up with homemade dressing, like a Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette, or dip them into homemade dips. I love a bowl of Avocado Ranch Dressing or Buffalo Ranch Dressing to spice things up a bit. You can also chill the vegetables and serve them as an appetizer with my Homemade Hummus Recipe.
- With rice. Learn How to Make White Rice 5 Ways, or prepare Cilantro Lime Rice, and spoon sauteed veggies over the top. Keep it vegetarian or add some sliced Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken.
- Casseroles. For heartier mains, a quick and light vegetable side is welcome. I love summer vegetables with Stuffed Pepper Casserole, Tuna Noodle Casserole, and Chicken and Rice Casserole, or check out my compilation of Gluten Free Casseroles for more ideas.
- Pasta meals. Pair sautéed vegetables with Gluten Free Lasagna, Gluten Free Baked Ziti, or Gluten Free Fettuccine Alfredo.
More Easy Side Dishes
Sauteed Summer Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 medium or two small zucchini or yellow summer squash , halved or quartered lengthwise (depending on size), and sliced about 1/4 in. thick
- 1 cup grape tomatoes , halved
- 2 ears of corn , kernels removed from the cob
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Wash and dry 1 medium or two small zucchini or yellow summer squash and 1 cup grape tomatoes and shuck 2 ears of corn. Halve or quarter the zucchini and slice about 1/2-inch thick. Halve the tomatoes. Cut the kernels from the cobs.
- Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a pan, and cook slowly until it just begins to brown.
- Add 1 scallion, thinly sliced, and saute until it just begins to soften.
- Add the zucchini or squash slices and cook to desired doneness.
- Add the tomatoes and corn, stir to combine, then season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, adjusting to taste.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Serve right away.
Did you make this?
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This is definitely going to be a side dish this week, I can’t wait to try!
Enjoy! So simple, yet with fresh veggies, so much flavor!
Excellent way to repurpose leftovers! Your saute looks terrific!
Thanks Liz – gotta find ways to make old things new again!