Smashed Zucchini With Chickpeas and Peanuts Recipe (2024)

I haven't tried the recipe, but I can confirm that anyone who has gardened in the Pacific Northwest has felt the urge to smash some zucchini.

Cut zucchini into quarters and put Into a ziploc back to smash bc they kept slipping off my cutting board. Then added jalapeño lime and salt to that bag and let marinate for 10min before draining. Super easy!

Wonderful, easy recipe. I was out of straight sumac, so subbed in some za'atar at the end, which had sumac, sesame, etc. Worked great. Otherwise made it exactly to recipe. I liked the lightness that resulted from not marinating the zucchini too long. Served it with a really good baguette with excellent olive oil for dipping. This is definitely going to be a summer-long favourite

I subbed unsalted raw pumpkin seeds for the peanuts -- they hopped around the pan as they toasted, which made it feel like a party in the pan -- and added a handful of flat leaf parsley, cilantro and mint before serving. Sliced avocado and jammy not-really-hard boiled egg along side. Delish.

After reading all these notes, I decided to try this with zucchini ribbons using the spiralizer. Also subbed za'atar with great results. During last 2 mins of sautéing chickpeas peanuts, added 1 1/2 cups (broth-cooked) farro to skillet. After final seasoning step, integrated the zoodles to the skillet and mixed. Great result! The farro helped make it hearty enough to be our main. Flavors are excellent and it's awesome for a summer night!

Try smashing (lightly) with a rolling pin. It will break easily into pieces and not fly off the cutting board. No plastic required.

I read this recipe and didn’t have faith that the zucchini smashing technique or combination of flavours would work but I was So Proven Wrong! I have made this 3x this week so far and still love it. I have fairly large zucchini’s so doubled the lime zest and the peanuts (mostly because I love roasted peanuts - keto people just let that one go!) and added a little extra sumac. I’ve never really appreciated what sumac can do until this dish - it really does make a difference.

Haven't tasted this yet because I'm still cooking but if I make it again, I would add the peanuts to chickpeas last few minutes of cooking. They browned fast and I couldn't "crisp" the chickpeas.

For some people, this could be a main dish, especially if you add some cheese and include some boiled eggs. Otherwise consider it as a nice side for salmon (or other fish) or burgers.

Delicious summertime meal! It’s easy to put together and you can sip a cool white wine while preparing (Sancerre or Vouvrey comes to mind) we decided to give each person a small “candy dish “ type bowl of the chickpeas & peanut mixture to keep it crispiest! It reminded everyone of bar food snacks… This recipe will become a staple with the balance of proteins from the chickpeas (& peanuts) against all the dark green veggies

Raw zucchini may seem to be not good. It it is very tasty indeed. Since we have a garden, we have tons of the squash. Slice the raw zucchini, salt it and spread put in a plate. Sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic, and toss some arugula on the top. We have this quite often and our dinner guests are surprised and delighted.

I just had to try this - it is delicious! I didn't have an jalapeno but I added a few shakes of aleppo. I used a mixture of berbere and sumac and cashews in lieu of peanuts. So easy and perfect for summer.

My wife's not a fan of jalapeños, so I subbed grated fresh ginger. Seemed to work.

This is a great recipe if you’re building muscle and want plant-based protein, and zucchini is a favorite vegetable of fitness people.

This had good individual tastes, but it did seem weird to eat. I added yogurt and Indian roti bread…-still - needed something to tie it all together. And it made a humongous mess when I added the chickpeas to the oil. I don’t know how I got this so wrong.

Highly recommend - delicious, unexpected and easy!Swapped in almonds and chili flakes because that’s what I had and it was still delicious. Really unexpected flavor. Makes a great side salad or main dish paired with grains or pasta or roasted sweet potatoes (what I had). I can see it at a bbq or picnic too.loved it!

I would suggest that it would be helpful to smash the zucchini underneath a kitchen towel/tea towel. Otherwise I loved the flavors.

A winner recipe in the flavor per effort ratio. It’s not just a straight summer dish: I made this the week before Halloween and zapped the zucchini briefly to make a warm salad. Readily accepts a garnish of scallions and cilantro.

Such an unexpected and pleasant dish! I took the advice to add farro (cooked in broth) to the chickpeas, smashed the zucchini in a bag and let it marinate, and used lemon and lemon zest instead of lime because that’s what I had. Very enjoyable.

Made ahead thinking it would make an interesting lunch. It did not. It was strange and bland. Used berbere on the garbanzo peanut mixture and those were tasty. Used a meat mallet to smash the zucchini. Maybe worth trying if you have an over abundance of zucchini, but not a make again for us.

I wanted to like this, i thought it would be a great lunch. Sadly, it is gross and disgusting in every way. I keep checking to see if I did something wrong, but no. I like all the ingredients separately, but together they are awful! Zero stars.

This is delicious! Used a rolling pin, and Za'atar. The chickpeas didn't crisp. It is because I used less oil? Pan not hot enough?

The smashing is helpful for a few reasons IMO: to remove seeds & water, & increase surface area. Since I made this ahead, I kept the zucchini (with some limes & mint) in a colander in the fridge to get the most water out and kept the chickpeas separate until serving. The vegans at the dinner were thrilled w/the great protein content & we all benefitted from this very healthy and tasty dish (I also used all organic ;-) I do wish I had taken Christine's advice below & added the peanuts later.

Use ziplock to mash and marinate zucchini

Read the notes: add boiled egg, pepitas instead of peanuts, etc.

I love my veggies but this is just off for me. Not a fan of how the flavors and textures don’t really come together. Obviously others like it but just felt newcomers to it might like to see a different review!

Excellent! I've had it at room temperature, and will it cold next time. I didn't have sumac, I used Za'atar instead and it worked well. I added some fresh chili peppers, and fresh coriander. So delicious!

I didn't have any chickpeas, but made this anyway. Added mint & chives and it was still great. Peanuts & zucchini!

I added 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds for more crunch. Instead of jalapeños, I added diced shish*to peppers. Instead of smashing the zucchini, I grated it. Turned into an awesome salad!

Delicious! I was skeptical that this list of ingredients would combine into a bold, satisfying dish, but I’m convinced and excited to make this again. Thank you, NYT Cooking and commenters for making a compelling case for this recipe!