This Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing recipe is full of different textures and flavours – tender zucchini, creamy ricotta, fresh mint and pine nuts for a little crunch, all dressed in a punchy and peppery pomegranate molasses dressing.
Full disclosure; I don’t know if this recipe is a main, a side or a salad.
What I do know though, is that it’s tasty af, simple to make and satisfying to eat.
Oven roasting the zucchini on a preheated tray rather than sautéing it first means you don’t have to babysit it and can work on pulling together the rest of the meal. Or you know, just enjoy a quiet moment while the zucchini cooks.
Why you’ll Love this Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
- Not watery. The zucchini is roasted to tender perfection, lightly crisp on the outside but tender on the inside.
- Mostly hands off. No need to stand over the stove sautéing or frying the zucchini first. This also makes the roasted zucchini less oily too!
- Easy to make. Despite the scoring and salting time, this Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing dish is super easy to make.
- Your choice. This recipe works equally well as a light main meal shared between two, or as a side with your protein of choice (or even pasta!) for four.
Cook with me
The Viral Scored Zucchini Recipe
You might think this Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing recipe is based on Chef Thomas Keller’s viral zucchini method, but it’s actually not!
It was actually inspired by the Japanese eggplant dish Nasu Dengaku. The cross-hatch scoring of the flesh releases excess water from high moisture vegetables like eggplant and zucchini so they cook faster without releasing excess liquid into the finished dish.
The scoring also helps with distributing flavour (and salt!) throughout the entire vegetable and not just the surface. This is especially useful when you’re dressing the zucchini after it’s been cooked, just like in this recipe.
Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delightfully tangy and peppery recipe:
- Zucchini. The star of the show. You’ll need three medium to large ones for this recipe.
- Fine Sea Salt. You’ll need fine sea salt to not only salt the zucchini to remove the excess liquid, but also to season the dressing.
- Oil. I used olive oil because I prefer the subtle taste it imparts during roasting than other oils. If you’re not keen on using olive oil at high temperatures, feel free to use canola or vegetable oil, just make sure to not use too much. For the dressing though, I would definitely recommend using olive oil.
- Lemon juice. A little lemon juice on the zucchini and a little lemon juice in the dressing to brighten everything up and make sure it’s not too thick. You’ll only need half a lemon for the whole recipe.
- Pomegranate molasses. Tangy and punchy, this is the star of the dressing. No substitutes allowed.
- Pepper. Don’t skimp on the pepper, it actually highlights the pomegranate molasses flavour and gives the dressing a bit of a kick. I’ve used freshly ground mixed pepper because that’s what’s in my pepper mill, but you can use whatever pepper you have on hand.
- Ricotta. If you follow one thing to the letter, please let it be this: do not use ricotta out of a tub. There is nothing wrong with them, they work brilliantly in pasta dishes! But the looser consistency of these ricottas are not what we’re after for this dish. Try to get fresh ricotta from a deli, or buy the traditional, basket-set ricotta.
- Mint. I love mint and pretty much use it when I need any fresh herb. But zucchini pairs exceptionally well with basil, dill and parsley.
- Pine nuts. A little crunch is good to balance the creaminess of both the zucchini and ricotta. Pine nuts, when toasted, are nutty and fragrant, and a great pairing to zucchini. Toasted almonds would also work.
- Pomegranate arils. These are totally optional but add a burst of bright sweetness and colour. You can also find the arils prepackaged now, if pomegranates aren’t in season.
Find the exact quantities in the recipe card below.
How to Make this Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
You can serve this Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing just as it is, it makes a great light meal for two. Or you can serve it as a side to your favourite protein, or even a pasta dish.
Here’s the quick rundown on how to make the recipe:
- Preheat the oven and the baking tray.
- Slice the zucchini into thick, even chunks and score the flesh in a cross-hatch pattern.
- Salt the zucchini generously and set aside to ‘sweat’ for 10-15 minutes. Then pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix the zucchini with the oil and lemon and then tip out onto the hot baking tray. Turn the zucchini chunks to be cut side down, making sure to spread them out on the tray, and then roast.
- Toast the pine nuts and set them aside – not in the pan you used to cook them in!
- Make the salad dressing by combining the oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a jar. Shake until emulsified and set aside until ready to serve.
- When the zucchini is tender on the inside and a little crispy on the outside, dish it out onto a serving plate and drizzle over most of the dressing, getting it into all the grooves. Scatter over the ricotta, mint, pine nuts and pomegranate arils and serve with or without some crusty or toasted bread.
Tips on Roasting Zucchini
Zucchini is a high moisture vegetable so needs to be roasted at a much higher temperature than other commonly roasted veggies such as potatoes and carrots. The hotter temperature helps zucchini (and capsicums and eggplants) caramalise on the outside quickly and stop the moisture from escaping. Here’s some tips to help you make the best roasted zucchini:
Sweat the zucchini. Technically a process called disgorging vegetables – sounds delightful, doesn’t it? – salting high moisture vegetables like zucchini helps in getting rid of excess liquid. The technique is used for dishes such a quiches, vegetable salads, or a vegetable parmigiana. To salt the zucchini, sprinkle fine sea salt generously all over the cut zucchini. Allow the moisture to drain out for 10-15 minutes and then pat dry with paper towels.
High heat. A hot oven allows the zucchini to ‘sear’ by cooking quickly, creating a caramalised outside while the inside becomes tender and juicy but not wet.
No overcrowding. To make sure that the zucchini is roasting and not steaming, don’t overcrowd the pan. You need the hot oven air to be able to circulate and quickly cook the zucchini.
Don’t overcook. Overcooking zucchini can make it go mushy. Cooking it at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time will help get you that tender centre with a slightly crispy exterior. Cut your zucchini into four or five thick chunks at most, keeping the pieces larger will help in preventing overcooking.
Love your veggies? Try these recipes too:
- Vegetable Pot Pie with Cacio e Pepe Filo Crust
- Green Beans Gremolata
- Smashed Potatoes with Herbs and Feta
- Asparagus Tart
- Spiced Roasted Cauliflower
- Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob
- Roasted Capsicum Antipasto (Roasted Bell Pepper Antipasto)
Have you made this Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing yet? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know. How did your roasted zucchini turn out? Or take a pic and tag me over on Instagram, I love seeing what you guys are making from the blog!
Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
Ingredients
For the Zucchini
- 3 zucchini
- Fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 50 g ricotta
- 3-4 sprigs of mint, leaves picked
- Arils from half a pomegranate
For the Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon lemon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the baking tray in the oven to preheat as well.
- Trim the zucchini and slice each one into 4-5 thick, even chunks, then cut those chunks in half. Carefully, use the tip of your knife to score a crosshatch pattern into the flesh of the cut side.3 zucchini
- Salt the zucchini generously and set aside to ‘sweat’ for 10-15 minutes. Then pat dry with paper towels and place into a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix.Fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and carefully, tip the zucchini out onto the try. Working quickly, turn all the chinks to be cut side down, making sure to spread the pieces out on the tray. Put the baking tray back into the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender on the inside. Because oven temperatures and zucchini pieces vary, start checking your zucchini from the 12-minute mark.
- While the zucchini is roasting, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat until slightly toasted and fragrant. Set aside until needed.2 tablespoons pine nuts
- To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake until emulsified. Set aside until ready to serve.2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, 1 tablespoon lemon, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- When the zucchini is ready, dish it out onto a serving plate and drizzle over most of the dressing, getting it into all the grooves. Scatter over the ricotta, mint, pine nuts and pomegranate arils. Serve with extra dressing and some crusty or toasted bread.50 g ricotta, 3-4 sprigs of mint, Arils from half a pomegranate
