Tender and flavorful zucchini cooked to absolute perfection. This Sous Vide Zucchini is healthy, nutritious, and is bound to become a summer side dish staple!
Sous vide zucchini is a great accompaniment to almost everything. It’s low-carb, Keto, and completely addictive!
If you don’t like mushy zucchini, this recipe is for you. This popular summer squash has high water content, and seems destined to cook into a sodden mess. Sous vide method allows you to control temperature precisely, therefore making this vegetable firm yet tender every time!
For the seasoning, I like to use simple salt and pepper, and then top with parmesan cheese before serving. Zucchini and parmesan – an amazing combination made in heaven! So irresistible!
The best part about this recipe is that there is no deep frying or sautéing, and you can omit oil if you want to make it extra healthy!
What is sous vide cooking?
Sous vide is a French cooking technique where the food is vacuum sealed in a bag, then cooked to a very precise temperature in a water bath. It’s a no-fail method and guarantees the result.
How to sous vide zucchini
Simply trim the ends of your zucchini and cut it into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
Then place them in a vacuum seal bag or zip-top bag. Arrange the pieces evenly in one single layer and vacuum seal the bag. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use zip-top bag, and seal it using “water displacement” technique.
Cook the zucchini slices in a sous vide warm water bath for 12 minutes.
Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and serve!
Pro Tip: Save the seasoning for after sous vide cooking to avoid discolouration and being too soggy.
Sous vide zucchini temperature and time
For the zucchini slices with 1/4-inch thickness, I like to cook them at 185°F(85°C) for 12 minutes for the perfectly tender and firm texture.
- Sous vide cook for 10 minutes if you prefer a more crunchy texture.
- Cook for 12 minutes if you want to have a slightly crunchy but tender texture.
- Cook for 20 minutes if you prefer to have a very soft texture.
Zucchini slices soften up very nicely after 10 minutes at 185°F (85°C), and will be very soft after 20 minutes. If your zucchini is thicker or larger in size, increase the time accordingly.
How to prevent the bag from floating during sous vide cooking?
Vegetables tend to float easily in the water bath. To prevent this from happening, you can use sous vide weights and place them in the bag with your zucchini to weigh down the bag. Alternatively, use heavy kitchen items such as metal tongs and heavy bowls to keep it fully submerged.
More sous vide vegetables you’ll love:
Recipe Tools:
If you try this recipe, please let me know how your sous vide zucchini turns out in the comments below!
Sous Vide Zucchini with Parmesan
Tender and flavorful zucchini cooked to absolute perfection. This Sous Vide Zucchini is healthy, nutritious, and is bound to become a summer side dish staple!
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini or yellow summer squash, ends trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 185ºF/85ºC.
Clean the zucchini and trim the ends. Then slice them into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
Add them into vacuum seal or zip-top bags, and arrange in single layer. Don't overcrowd the bag and use multiple bags if necessary. I used 3 zip-top bags for this recipe.
Seal the bags with a vacuum sealer if you have one. Otherwise, use the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Clip a heavy spoon to the edge of the bag to weigh the bag down. Or use a heavy kitchen item to keep the zucchini completely submerged in the water. (Make sure the seams are above the water).
Cook for 12 minutes. (The cooking time depends on the thickness of your zucchini and your preferred texture. See more information in the post above.)
- When the timer goes off, take the bag out and remove the zucchini from the bag.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then top with grated parmesan cheese. Serve warmly and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- If your zucchini slices are 1/4-inch thick, and they are arranged in one single layer in the bags, you can leave the zucchini in the sous vide water bath for up to 20 minutes. If it’s longer than that, they can become very mushy.
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