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Million Dollar Zucchini Skillet

A blue plate with a serving of chopped watermelon and million dollar zucchini skillet with a fork on the plate.

This is the Best Zucchini Skillet!

Okay, so the name Million Dollar Zucchini Skillet is a little dramatic, but I had to figure out a way to set this recipe apart from other zucchini skillet recipes.

Don’t get me wrong. All of the zucchini skillet recipes I’ve posted are good, but this one–THIS ONE is the BEST! Simple things like using fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes, and finely chopping some celery in with the onion, garlic, and carrot really make this dish sing.

In fact, we loved it so much that we made it three nights in a row. My oldest now claims it as his third favorite dinner. Chimichangas are his first, and Baked Teriyaki Chicken is his second. He kind of cracks me up. His top two are a little fancy, and then there’s Zucchini Skillet. It’s like the nerdy kid who somehow managed to make a name for himself with the cool kids.

Two-photo Pinterest picture with the text of the title at the top. The top photo has two yellow squash, two zucchini, four garlic cloves, two stalks of celery, and a handful of baby carrots. The bottom photo is the million dollar zucchini recipe in a skillet with a black serving spoon held above from the right with a scoop of zucchini mixture on it.If you like skillet recipes, try these:

This dinner is naturally gluten-free. Also, for those who don’t do dairy, if you skip the cheese on top, it is also dairy-free. With that said, if dairy isn’t a problem for you, I strongly suggest lots of cheese on top. YUM!!!!

If you have a spiralizer, this recipe works great with spiralized zucchini, too. My sister-in-law gave me this one for Christmas. The kids love to use it. It’s a very simple design and easy to use and clean.

I know I’ve mentioned a time or two in the past that I love to cook. That is still true, but the older my kids get, the older and more tired I get, which makes preparing dinner feel more overwhelming than it ever has in the past. I used to love the time it took to prep dinner. It was relaxing for me. Now it just makes me anxious, especially if I know I have three million things to do and to get people places.

One way I’m working through this slump and doing my best to still put homemade meals on the table is by having go-to skillet, crockpot, and “throw-it-together and toss-it-in-the-oven for two hours” kind of meals. Basically, the only time I make a meal that causes me to have to be in the kitchen prepping for more than 20-30 minutes is on Sundays or special occasions.A black skillet filled with the million dollar zucchini skillet dish.

One of my favorite shortcuts for this Million Dollar Zucchini Skillet is my food processor. It chops up the vegetables in no time and allows me to sneak more vegetables into our meals. 🙂 My food processor is part of a Ninja Blender System I bought myself for our wedding anniversary 2 years ago. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! It is a permanent fixture on our counter because I (we) use it so much. It has a food processor attachment, a blender, and a magic bullet nutra-blender attachment.

Without a food processor, I would have to finely chop or grate all of the veggies in this recipe. A task that would take at least 15-20 minutes. But with the Ninja, I just throw them all in, hit the magic button, and ten seconds later everything is in tiny almost unrecognizable (once cooked) pieces. It’s so great!

My Ninja is worth its weight in gold. It has been used almost every day, if not multiple times a day since I bought it. Cooking is fun and quicker when you have the right tools. Do yourself a favor! If you don’t already have some kind of food processor, make it a priority to get one. You’ll be so happy you did. My sister had one like this before she caved and got a Ninja like mine. It worked great and is a great option if you don’t have the space for a big one.

By the way, this is not a sponsored post. I just love my Ninja. 

I got off on a little food processor tangent. Can’t help it. I’m becoming more and more passionate about making dinner prep as quick and painless as possible.

how to make million dollar zucchini skillet

  • Cut your zucchinis lengthwise down the middle and slice 1/4-inch-thick pieces into half-moon shapes.
  • Pour olive oil into a large, deep skillet. Add Italian Sausage and cook over medium-high heat until browned.

A white chopping board with quartered sliced zucchini and yellow squash.

A white cutting board with two yellow squash, two yellow zucchini, a pile of baby carrots, two stalks of celery, a half an onion, and four cloves of garlic.

  • Place celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in the food processor. 
  • Process into very small pieces, pea-size or smaller. If you don’t have a processor, grate or finely dice them.

A food processor with the blade in the middle and small pieces of onion and carrots surrounding the blade.

  • Add the finely chopped or processed veggies to the skillet. Mix well.
  • Add diced tomatoes, rice, water, brown sugar, salt, basil, parsley, and oregano. Mix well.

A large skillet filled with cooked Italian sausage crumbles topped with a pile of diced tomatoes and parmesan cheese and a small pile of salt, oregano, basil and brown sugar.

  • Add zucchini pieces and mix. Get as much of the mixture under the liquid as possible. Bring to a low boil.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until zucchini is tender and rice is cooked.

A large frying pan filled with slice zucchini and yellow squash, Italian sausage and dice tomatoes.

  • Remove from heat. Remove the lid and sprinkle with cheese. Put the lid back on and let the cheese melt.

A partial photo of million dollar zucchini skillet recipe in a large frying pan.

Tips for making this Zucchini Skillet

  • Remove casings from Italian sausage.
  • Use a food processor to finely chop veggies.
  • If you have a spiralizer, this recipe works great with spiralized zucchini, too.
  • For the best flavor, use fired-roasted diced tomatoes.
  • After sprinkling the mixture with cheese, place the lid back on the skillet to melt the cheese faster.

A skillet full of million dollar zucchini recipe with a black serving spoon held above from the right with a scoop of zucchini skillet recipe.

Chef’s Tools for Making Zucchini Skillet Recipes:

A Pinterest picture of a serving of million dollar zucchini skillet on a blue plate with a fork and watermelon with the text of the title separating the photo and the ingredients list at the bottom.

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4.9 from 27 reviews
Million Dollar Zucchini Skillet
 
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Prep time
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Total time
 
This amazing skillet dinner will become an instant favorite at your house. The flavors are perfect. This is hands down the best Zucchini Skillet I have ever made!
Author:
Recipe type: Skillet Dinner
Cuisine: Italian/American
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 lb Italian Sausage, casings removed
  • 4 small-medium zucchini or yellow squash (4-6 cups of quartered or halved slices)
  • 1 large or two small celery stalks
  • 16 baby carrots or 2 small regular carrots, peeled
  • ½ of a medium onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 15 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • ½ cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp basil
  • ½ tsp parsley
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • 1-2 cups of Colby Jack or Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
  1. Cut your zucchinis lengthwise down the middle and slice ¼-inch-thick pieces into half-moon shapes. If the zucchinis are larger, slice them lengthwise again. Then, cut into quartered slices. Set aside.
  2. Pour olive oil into a large, deep skillet. Add Italian Sausage and cook over medium-high heat until browned.
  3. Place celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in the food processor. Process into very small pieces, pea-size or smaller. If you don't have a processor, grate or finely dice them.
  4. Add the finely chopped or processed veggies to the skillet.
  5. Add diced tomatoes, rice, water, brown sugar, salt, basil, parsley, and oregano. Mix well.
  6. Add zucchini pieces and mix. Get as much of the mixture under the liquid as possible. Bring to a low boil.
  7. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until zucchini is tender and rice is cooked.
  8. Remove from heat. Remove lid and sprinkle with cheese. Put the lid back on and let the cheese melt while you set the table or round everyone up for dinner.
  9. Enjoy!

 

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Three-photo Pinterest picture with the text of the title in the middle separating one photo at the top and two photos on the bottom. The photo at the top is a skillet full of million dollar zucchini recipe with a black serving spoon held above from the right with a scoop of zucchini skillet recipe. The left photo on the bottom is a white cutting board with two yellow squash, two yellow zucchini, a pile of baby carrots, two stalks of celery, a half an onion, and four cloves of garlic. The right bottom photo is a large skillet filled with sausage, diced tomatoes, slice zucchini and yellow squash topped with melted cheese.

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82 Comments

    • Jeanne

      I was wondering the same as we are meatless. I would be willing to try it and add mushrooms..( maybe shiitake for flavor or several diff kinds) in place of the sausage w some added spices to kick up what would be missing

      reply to this comment

      • Melany

        Maria!
        I have made this meal probably at least 50 times in the last 4 years. My family LOVES it and it freezes beautifully. I always double it and freeze the extra for later.
        Here are my tricks I do when I make this:
        – I put the carrots, garlic, celery, and onion in a blender. I used to worry about it being “pea sized” instead of “blended” but I made it tonight with blending them and it tasted the same!
        – I steam the zucchini and squash while I’m working on the meat. It’s more dishes, but it takes about 20-30 minutes off the total cook time.
        -I use microwave packs of rice and quinoa instead of cooking rice. This saves me 10-15 minutes too.
        – I mix cheese into it while it’s hot so it melts, but I add a layer of cheese when I freeze it, so I know how much longer it needs in the oven.

        Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I started using it as a newly wed and now my 2 year old daughter ask for seconds THREE TIMES tonight! Thank you again!!

        reply to this comment

        • Maria

          Yay! I am so glad you like this meal! I love hearing your tips and ideas for making it quick and even healthier! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment! I especially love hearing that your little girl loves it! 🙂

          reply to this comment

  19. Carol

    I made this for dinner tonight and my family loved it!!! We grow a big vegetable garden every year so I am always looking for new recipes to use my vegetables in. This is a keeper!! I will definitely be making it again and again!! I shared the recipe with some friends.

    reply to this comment

    • Amber

      This was so good! And easy! Thank you so much for the recipe! I used cualiflower rice instead of regular rice. I probably didn’t need to add the cup of water, so I won’t do that the next time. Cuz of course the cualiflower rice doesn’t swell. So there was alot of liquid! A big hit though!! Making it again!!!❤️

      reply to this comment

      • Maria

        Awesome! Great idea with the cauliflower rice, I love the idea of adding another veggie to this delicious skillet. Definitely a family fave, so glad you found the recipe and liked it!

        reply to this comment

  27. Mitzie

    This really is the Million Dollar Zucchini Recipe! We absolutely loved it! The flavors just pop and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s going in to my Family Cookbook (I will give you the credit for sure.) Thank you and good job!

    reply to this comment

  28. Jane Peterson

    Very tasty recipe! Will definitely have again! I do like my casseroles chunky so I chopped the vegetables instead of using the food processor and I used 8 oz of ziti pasta (cooked separately and added at the end to simmer a bit) instead of rice. Other than that I followed the recipe closely. It turned out great!

    reply to this comment

  29. Veronica

    I used turkey Italian sausage, brown minute rice and more water to make sure the brown rice cooked. It was delicious and a perfect dish to freeze in small portions for my in-laws.

    reply to this comment

    • Maria

      yes, but you won’t need to add the water and it will cook much faster, so you would need to add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes before adding the cauliflower rice.

      reply to this comment

  31. Kathy Simmert

    We had some zucchini that I needed to use and hadn’t planned what to fix for dinner. I didn’t have carrots or celery and just canned diced tomatoes. I used a spicy sausage that was from a wild pig that a friend gave us. It was very good. Will make again. Simple, easy and delicious.

    reply to this comment

  34. Dixie

    This was really good the first time as well as leftovers. I think if I were you make it again I’d add more of the tomatoes and less water. I love that it has so many vegetables in it and using the food processor makes it so quick & easy.

    reply to this comment

    • Ann@Real Life Dinner

      Hi, Maria. Sorry to hear you had trouble. That’s never happened to us. Did you bring the mixture to a boil first or was your burner on too low of a setting for simmering?

      reply to this comment

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