Zucchini-Onion Sautee

It doesn’t get simpler or easier than this side dish; there are just a couple of seasonings (spoiler alert: nutmeg, thyme, and lemon) that make all the difference in bringing out the flavor of the veggies.

Start by melting a pat of butter (or you could use olive oil) in a saucepan over medium heat, then throw in some sliced or diced onion and let it soften, stirring so it doesn’t over-brown or stick to the pan. Grate a bit of fresh nutmeg (like 1/4 tsp.) over it. Mince a few sprigs’ worth of thyme leaves with about 1 TBSP of kosher salt, scatter it over the onion, and add 1 small-to-medium zucchini, sliced coin-style. Spritz on the juice of half a lemon and toss everything together.

Cook about 10 minutes until the zucchini has a bit of brown color on it, tossing every few minutes; if it starts to stick to the pan in the process, add a bit more butter or oil (and/or a wee bit of white wine).

You could add a drained/rinsed can’s worth of black beans to this and serve it over rice if you wanted a one-dish vegetarian meal; some grated Parmesan also would not be amiss. I, unsurprisingly, served it as a side to roasted bone-in pork chops that had been basted with various condiment packets and powdered spices, along with creamy skin-on mashed potatoes dotted with chopped chives.