Grilled Parmesan Corn and Zucchini

This grilled Parmesan corn and zucchini is a perfect summer side dish. It's delicious warm straight off the grill, or re-heated the next day.

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Grilled Parmesan Corn and Zucchini in a white bowl on a table with potato salad in the background.

Perfect Summer Side Dish

Eating seasonally is always the best idea, not just for the environment, but because fruit and vegetables taste so much better when they are in season. This grilled Parmesan corn and zucchini dish could definitely be made year round, but it’s absolutely delicious in the summertime when the corn is sweet and juicy and zucchini starts to become so abundant that we’re searching for ways to use it up. 

Ingredients on a cutting board - zucchini, corn, butter, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, spices and herbs.

Summer Ingredients

There are very few ingredients in this recipe, so my adage of using the very best of those ingredients is even more important. Your final dish can only be as good as the ingredients you put into it, so make sure you are using fresh zucchini and recently picked corn. Corn doesn’t stay fresh for very long (you can read more about corn here), so try to use it within a day or two of purchasing it.

A hand brushing oil on zucchini on a quarter sheet pan with corn in the background.

How to Grill Zucchini

Cutting your zucchini into spears by quartering it lengthwise makes grilling a breeze. Brush with the seasoned oil first and then you just need to grill two sides of the zucchini. This shape holds up better on the grill and makes it easier to achieve grill marks without over-cooking the zucchini. It should take no more than 8 to 10 minutes to grill over medium heat.

Grilled corn and zucchini on a quarter sheet pan next to some cut up zucchini with a knife.

How to Grill Corn

There are many different ways to grill corn on the cob and you see a video of how to grill it five different ways here. I like to grill this corn out of the husk so that you get some charred kernels which add color and flavor to this dish. 

Hands cutting kernels off an ear of corn with an orange mandolin.

How to Remove Kernels of Corn from the Cob

You can use a chef’s knife to cut the corn kernels off the cob, but a mandolin makes the task even easier and allows you to shave the corn into a bowl so that it doesn’t fly all over your kitchen. The only trick is being able to hold the ear of corn while it is still hot. You can either wait for it to cool down a little, or use a paper towel to hold the corn while you run it across the mandolin.

Zucchini, corn, herbs and Parmesan cheese tossed in a white bowl with a spoon.

How to Dress the Veg

This vegetable dish just has butter, fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese as the dressing and the result is a luscious and rich. If you’d like a little brighter dish, try a squeeze of lemon or lime over the top. Then, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve it warm.

A dinner plate with a grilled chicken breast, some potato salad and some zucchini and corn with a red and white checkered napkin, salt and pepper and a glass of water.

What to Serve Alongside

Grilled Parmesan corn and zucchini can be a perfect side dish to a summer meal. Next to a potato salad and a simply grilled or air-fried chicken breast, you can’t go wrong. It can also work as one of several salads that fills a summer buffet. Just remember that if you’ve refrigerated the salad overnight, pop it in the microwave for a minute to re-heat it before serving. 

Featured Recipe Techniques

More about the skills used in this recipe.

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5 Ways to Grill Corn

There are many different ways to cook corn on the grill and each method requires a little more work than...View Technique

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Grilled Parmesan Corn and Zucchini

  • Prep Time: 5 m
  • Cook Time: 15 m
  • Total Time: 20 m
  • Servings:
    6

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise
  • 3 ears corn shucked
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
  • cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Combine the olive oil, Italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
  2. Brush the corn and zucchini with the olive oil mixture.
  3. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill corn on the cob for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini to the grill and cook for another 8 minutes or so, until the corn starts to char and the zucchini is cooked but still firm. Rotate the vegetables every few minutes during the cooking process.
  4. Remove the zucchini and corn from the grill and transfer to a cutting board. While the vegetables are still warm. Carefully remove the corn kernels from the husks using a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer. Place the corn kernels in a large bowl with the butter. Cut the zucchini into ½-inch chunks. Add the zucchini and Parmesan cheese to the corn and toss together until the butter melts and the cheese coats the veggies. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the oregano and fresh basil.
  5. Serve warm or room temperature.
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Comments (6)Post a Reply

  1. 4 stars
    this was yummy! I would use less corn next time, and also add in something for spice, like peppers. definitely a make again!

  2. Meredith, I am so happy to see you are on social media! I followed you for a very long time on QVC and was sorry when you left the show!
    can you help me with my air fryer cooking? Last night I did fried chicken and the skin didn’t seem to get crispy enough for me. I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago when I did baked potatoes the skin didn’t seem that crispy.
    Am I doing something wrong? Truly I am only a beginner when it comes to cooking even though I am up in age.! Can you help me? Anne

    1. Hi Anne. The skin won’t get as crispy as if you were deep frying it, but there are a few tips that will help you get it as crisp as possible. Make sure the skin is very dry first – dry it (chicken or potatoes) with a clean paper towel. Then, you need to make sure there is oil spritzed evenly on the skin. It’s the oil that will help crisp the skin – again, chicken or potato. I know the advantage of air frying is that you don’t use as much oil, but spritzing it is still necessary and you’ll use a whole lot less than if you were deep frying.

  3. Am I missing something? I LOVE your recipes!!!!!!!! Is it not possible to save them to Pinterest??? If you can’t, what a shame!

    1. Thanks Donna! Yes you can absolutely save my recipes to Pinterest. Just click on the white circle with a “P” in the middle, located on the upper left corner of the first image on the recipe page. Or hover over any image on my website and the red Pinterest save button with pop up. Just click on it to save to your Pinterest page.

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you Meredith! Made this tonight for dinner and served it with grilled spicy shrimp. So so good. Hubby made a face when i told him what I was making.He just asked for seconds!! Will make it again.

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