Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan)
Roasted Summer Squash first cooks with garlic cloves, and then the recipe is finished with grated Parmesan cheese! This is an amazing way to cook summer squash that’s so delicious that it’s worth turning on the oven, even when it’s hot outside.
PIN the Roasted Summer Squash to try it later!
I’m reminding you about this Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan) for my Friday Favorites pick this week. And summer is winding down, but for people who have vegetable gardens or get CSA vegetable deliveries summer squash keeps showing up far into the fall. And that’s fine with me because so many of my favorite zucchini recipes are cooked in the oven.
And it’s prime roasted zucchini season, and for this recipe the addition of garlic (and of course Parmesan) really makes this a spectacular way to cook any kind of summer squash! If you haven’t tried roasted garlic, you’re going to love the way that roasting makes the garlic sweet and tender. And my niece Kara and I thought the addition of coarsely-grated Parmesan could only improve the recipe, and the roasted summer squash was definitely even more amazing with both garlic and parmesan.
Kara and I decided we’d double the amount of garlic the next time we made it, so I’ll give you that option in the updated recipe. We used pre-peeled garlic cloves that came in a package, which made this quick to get into the oven and covering the baking sheet with foil made it easy to clean up. I seriously hope you’ll try this tasty idea if you’re still getting summer squash or buying it at the Farmers Market!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- medium or small zucchini or yellow summer squash
- large garlic cloves, peeled (We used peeled garlic which came in a package)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link
- coarsely-grated or freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
What type of squash can you use for this roasted summer squash?
You can definitely make this recipe with all zucchini or all yellow summer squash, whichever you have on hand! And other types of summer squash like crookneck squash or patty pan squash will also work.
How low in carbs is Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan)?
This amazing zucchini and yellow summer squash roasted with garlic and parmesan only has about 5 net carbs per serving and 8 grams of protein!
More Vegetables Roasted with Garlic:
If you’re a fan of roasting garlic with vegetables, you might also like to try it with Broccoli, Green Beans, Asparagus, or Cauliflower.
How to Make Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan):
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Cover a large baking sheet with foil.
- Wash the summer squash, cut off the ends, cut in half lengthwise (or not if your squash is small) and cut into slices about 3/4 inch thick.
- Peel garlic if needed, and cut some of the bigger cloves in half. (Next time I’d use at least double this amount of garlic!)
- Toss squash and garlic with the olive oil and Italian Herb Blend (affiliate link).
- Cover a large baking sheet with foil and spread the squash and garlic out on the baking sheet.
- Roast the squash and garlic about 20 minutes, or until it’s barely starting to soften and look cooked.
- Then sprinkle the coarsely grated Parmesan over the top of the squash pieces, put the baking sheet back into the oven, and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until cheese is all melted and starting to slightly brown.
- Season to taste with a little salt and some freshly-ground black pepper and serve the Roasted Summer Squash hot, and be sure to peel off all the cheese that runs down and melts on the foil!
- I bet if you have kids they’ll love eating that melted cheese the covers the squash, even if they aren’t big squash fans!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This Roasted Summer Squash would be great as a side dish with any of these low-carb main dishes:
- Baked Chicken Nuggets (uses the same oven temperature and similar cooking time)
- Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken
- Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce
- Maple Glazed Salmon
- Salmon Recipe with Tomato Olive Relish
Need more ideas for cooking summer squash?
Check out 50 Amazing Zucchini Recipes or use Zucchini Recipes for more ideas if you’re still getting zucchini!
Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan)
Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan) was one of the first zucchini recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen, and when we updated the photos we had the great idea of adding Parmesan Cheese! And you'll love making this roasted summer squash when the weather is getting cooler but you still have zucchini!
Ingredients
- 4 medium or 8 small zucchini or yellow summer squash (see notes)
- 10 large garlic cloves, peeled (We used peeled garlic which came in a package, which was fine for this. Use more or less garlic to taste.))
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 tsp. Italian Herb Blend
- 3/4 cup coarsely-grated or freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (more or less to taste)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F/230C. Cover a large baking sheet with foil.
- Wash the squash, cut off both ends, and cut each piece of squash in half lengthwise (or not if your squash is small.) Cut the squash into slices about 3/4 inch thick.
- Peel garlic if needed, and cut some of the bigger cloves in half. (Next time I'd definitely use the larger amount of garlic!)
- Toss squash and garlic with all the olive oil and then with the Italian Herb Blend (affiliate link), making sure all the squash pieces are lightly coated with oil.
- Spread the squash and garlic out on the baking sheet, making sure all the squash pieces are laying flat and the squash pieces are not touching each other more than necessary.
- Roast the squash and garlic pieces about 20 minutes, or until the squash is barely starting to soften and look cooked.
- Then sprinkle desired amount of coarsely grated Parmesan over the top of the squash pieces. Put the baking sheet back into the oven, and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until cheese is all melted and starting to slightly brown.
- Serve the Roasted Summer Squash hot, and be sure to eat the melted cheese that drips down on to the foil.
Notes
Use a combination of green and yellow squash for a more colorful dish if you have both types. Any type of dried Italian Herb Blend (affiliate link) will work for this recipe.
This recipe originally created by Kalyn in 2006 (!) and updated and improved by Kalyn and Kara.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 167Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 14mgSodium 407mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Roasted Summer Squash recipe would be great for low-carb diet plans, including Keto. This would also be approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although if you’re following the letter of the law for South Beach regarding fat you might want to use a more moderate amount of Parmesan cheese!
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Zucchini Recipes for more zucchini side dishes like this. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for roasted summer squash roasted with garlic was first posted in 2006! It was updated with new photos and the addition of Parmesan Cheese in 2018, and was last updated with more information in 2025.
25 Comments on “Roasted Summer Squash (with Garlic and Parmesan)”
can i roast Squash without Scraping out seeds and stringy
The summer squash used in this recipe only has very soft small seeds and no stringy part inside. What you are describing sounds like winter squash. I’d search on my site or on google for a recipe for Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash for that type of squash.
Great recipe. Tried it tonight. Hubby loved it & so did I. Effortless & delicious.
Yaay, glad you liked it!
I have a lot of summer squash and zucchini growing in my garden so I can’t wait to harvest it and try this recipe. My daughter will eat anything with parmesan on it! PInning now to try soon.
This is one of my absolute favorite vegetable dishes ever. I have eaten an entire cookie sheet of roasted squash by myself and I didn’t feel even a tinge of guilt about it!
If you garden or have friends that do, you’ll end up with a wheelbarrow chock full of yellow squash and zucchini by the end of summer. I have never turned down an armful of squash.
Thanks for posting this as I needed a refresher on temp and time to roast.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! This is definitely a favorite of mine too!
I have to try this recipe! I do the just about the same thing with Delicata Squash, then vacuum pack it and freeze it. Would the zucchini/yellow summer squash freeze as well? Or would it be too “wet”? Thanks! You give sooo many good ideas!
Hi Karen, so glad you are enjoying the recipes. Unfortunately I have to report that cooked summer squash doesn’t freeze well at all; it just turns into mush when it’s thawed. I love the sound of Delicata Squash cooked with garlic though, must try that!
Thanks for letting me know! That’s what I was thinking your answer would be. So, I guess I’ll stick to my Delicata. Love it!
Roasted vegetables are just THE BEST. I could make a meal out of just these!
Thanks Amy! I could not agree more!
Oh good, glad that worked out for you. I want to make that recipe with all eggplant but keep forgetting to buy it at the store!
Thanks for answering me so quickly, Kalyn, however i found your recipe for Garlic-Lover's Vegetable Stir Fry with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash and used that instead because it called for the eggplant. Yummy and easy! Just like I like my cooking!
I'm guessing that eggplant would be great in this, although I've never cooked eggplant that way before. If it's the bigger "black beauty" type eggplant, some people recommend salting them and letting the water drain to remove bitterness. The thinner Japanese eggplants could just be sliced and roasted. Love to hear how it works.
Can I add eggplant to this dish, Kalyn? I'm tryng to make a dish for using all the leftover crops from the garden this year……..
Kalyn, when produce is in season, keeping the recipe simple and letting the ingredients stand is best. This dish screams summer and I’ll look for some summer squash this weekend.
Karina and lobstersquad, thanks. It was quite yummy.
delicious. I love roasted squash. It´s soooo good, makes you forget all about the diet.
Roasted squash is one of my favorites! And your recipe sounds delicious – with garlic – what’s not to love?
Veuveclicquot, you’re welcome. Glad it worked for you.
RTC, thanks for de-lurking.
Wmm, I agree. And roasted garlic is fantastic.
Anonymous, you could use the marinade as a sauce, but you would definitely need to boil it to be sure to kill the bacteria from the chicken, otherwise it could cause salmonella. I haven’t tried that so I don’t know how it would taste. Let me know if you try it.
Me too I never know what to do with these but I always buy them anyway ’cause they are so symbolic of Fall, now I’m doing them for supper tonite, thank you!
PS Kalyn, made that lovely Thai chicken recipe, delicious!!!!Here is my question, what does one do with the marination solution? I was tempted to cook it along with the chicken but it was not part of the cooking instructions so I skipped it, I thought it might have made a nice dipping sauce?
Roasting makes so many thing better…especially with garlic 🙂
thanks….this was just what I was looking for…..i am soooo bookmarking your blog.
i don’t usually comment, i’m more of a lurker….what’s come over me?…lol
Kalyn, you have no idea how timely this post is! Last night I was staring at 3 zucchinis and 2 yellow squashes in my fridge and had no idea what to do with them (so they remained there.) Tonight, this is what I’m making. Thanks for saving them from mold-land!