Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Zucchini Salad

Pork chops that actually stay juicy. Not dried out. The key is resting them after the pan hits, which sounds fussy but takes 12 minutes and changes everything. Meanwhile the zucchini goes in the same pan—charred, almost caramelized, kind of falling apart in the best way. Then a vinaigrette with ginger and tamari that sounds weird until you taste it.

Total time is 34 minutes. Fifteen to prep, nineteen to cook. Dinner that looks like you planned it.

Why You’ll Love This Pork Chop Dinner

Grilled pork chops with roasted zucchini that actually works for weeknight eating. Comes together in under 35 minutes if you don’t overthink the steps.

The salad part does something most sides don’t—it tastes better the next day. Not sure why. Just does.

One pan. Well, technically one grill pan. Means cleanup isn’t the thing that kills your evening.

Ginger and lemon in the dressing. Not overpowering. Just enough that you know something’s going on beyond salt and oil.

What You Need for Pork Chops With Roasted Zucchini Salad

For the dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, tamari (regular soy works if that’s what you have), agave syrup, one small garlic clove grated, fresh ginger grated. That’s it. Don’t skip the ginger—it’s weird but necessary.

Pork chops. Four of them, 2.5 centimeters thick. Bone-in tastes better but boneless works. The thickness matters more than the bone thing.

Three medium zucchini cut into chunks. Not thin slices. Chunks. They need to sear without turning into mush.

Three tablespoons olive oil for the zucchini.

Toasted pumpkin seeds—60 grams, which is like a small handful. Raw ones don’t have the same snap.

Dill and fresh basil. Twenty grams of each. Torn basil, chopped dill. Not minced fine. Rough.

Salt and pepper.

How to Make Grilled Pork Chops With Roasted Zucchini Salad

Start with the vinaigrette because it sits while everything else happens. Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together first—they look like they’re not going to cooperate, but they do. Add tamari, agave, the grated garlic, the ginger. Whisk until it looks like it came together. It won’t be completely smooth. That’s fine.

Set it in a bowl. Don’t cover it. Just leave it.

Season the pork chops both sides. Salt, pepper. Don’t be shy. Coat them.

Get a grill pan hot. Medium-high. You want it actually hot—the kind of heat where the pan sizzles if you flick water at it. Lay the chops in. Don’t move them. Five to six minutes. They’ll start to smell different when they’re ready to flip. Flip once. Another five to six minutes. You’re looking for the fat edges to start turning translucent and look like they’re melting, plus some char on the surface. Not burnt. Char.

Pull them off the heat. Lay a piece of foil over the top—not wrapped tight, just draped. This rests them for 12 minutes. Sounds like a lot. It stops them from being that dry thing pork gets.

While those sit, cut the zucchini. Medium zucchini, cut into five centimeter chunks, then quarter them. You want chunky pieces that can actually sear.

Toss them in a separate bowl with three tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper.

Turn the grill pan down to medium. Same pan. Pour the zucchini in. Now you’re looking for three to four minutes per side until the outside gets that deep golden color and the inside gives when you press it. You’ll see the browning start on the edges. That’s when you flip. Don’t flip early.

The whole thing should take about eight minutes total. Some pieces cook faster than others. That’s okay.

How to Get Roasted Zucchini Crispy and Tender

Temperature matters here. Medium is right. Medium-high and it chars outside before it goes tender inside. Medium and it cooks through properly.

Don’t crowd the pan. If you have a pile of zucchini, work in batches. Touching pieces just steam. You need space.

The cut size is honestly important too. Those five centimeter chunks give you a charred outside and a soft inside at the same time. Thinner and it’s just caramelized mush. Thicker and the center stays hard.

Press a piece with the edge of your spatula maybe halfway through each side. If it gives a little, you’re close. If it’s rock hard, give it another minute.

The pan should smell almost burnt when you pull the zucchini off. Not acrid. Just deep and toasty. That’s the signal.

Pork Chops With Herb Vinaigrette and Roasted Zucchini Tips

Pork chop thickness is everything. Two point five centimeters. Too thin and they’re overdone before you know it. Too thick and the center stays raw. Two point five is the zone.

The rest period. Don’t skip it. The meat goes from feeling tight to actually tender in those 12 minutes. Slice it while it’s still resting—the residual heat is finishing the cooking without drying it out.

The tamari in the dressing—it adds salt and depth without tasting like soy sauce. If you don’t have it, regular soy works but use less. Maybe a teaspoon instead of 30 milliliters.

Pumpkin seeds have to be toasted. Raw ones taste like nothing. Toasted ones have that nutty crunch that holds in the salad.

Slice the pork thin—like a centimeter maybe. Thinner slices mean the dressing coats better and it’s easier to eat.

Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Zucchini Salad

By Emma

Prep:

15 min

Cook:

19 min

Total:

34 min

Servings:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• Herb Vinaigrette
• 175 ml olive oil
• 30 ml lemon juice
• 30 ml tamari
• 15 ml agave syrup
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• Meat and Vegetables
• 4 pork chops, 2.5 cm thick, bone-in or not
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into 5 cm chunks then quartered
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 60 g toasted pumpkin seeds
• 20 g chopped dill
• 20 g torn fresh basil leaves

Method

1. Herb Vinaigrette
2. 1 In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, tamari, agave syrup, grated garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
3. Meat and Vegetables
4. 2 Season pork chops with salt and black pepper on both sides.
5. 3 Heat grill pan over medium-high. Cook chops 5 to 6 minutes per side, checking for desired doneness (melting fat edges, slight char). Remove and cover loosely with foil. Rest 12 minutes.
6. 4 Meanwhile, toss zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.
7. 5 Using same pan on medium heat, sear zucchini 3 to 4 minutes each side until tender and slightly charred.
8. 6 Transfer zucchini to vinaigrette bowl. Stir to coat well.
9. 7 Add in pumpkin seeds, chopped dill, and basil. Mix thoroughly.
10. 8 Slice rested pork chops thinly on a cutting board.
11. 9 Arrange pork and zucchini salad on serving plates. Drizzle extra vinaigrette if desired.

Nutritional information

Calories

350

Protein

25g

Carbs

6g

Fat

28g

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Frequently Asked Questions About Pork Chops With Roasted Zucchini Salad

Can I make the vinaigrette ahead? Yeah. Make it the morning of. Actually tastes better if it sits. Just don’t add the pumpkin seeds or herbs until you’re ready to eat. They get soggy otherwise.

What if I don’t have a grill pan? Regular skillet works. Cast iron is better. You just need something that gets hot enough to char the zucchini. Same heat, same time.

How do I know when the pork is done? Melting fat edges. Slight char. And if you cut into the thickest part it should be barely pink in the center—not white all the way through, not red. That’s medium-ish. Takes about five to six minutes per side at medium-high heat.

Can I use bone-in or boneless pork chops? Both work. Bone-in might take a minute longer. The thickness matters more than whether there’s a bone. Two point five centimeters either way.

What about substitutions for the dressing? Don’t use white vinegar. Lemon is important. Agave can be honey but use a bit less—honey is sweeter. Tamari is soy, basically. Ginger can’t really be swapped without changing everything. Just leave it out if you hate ginger.

Does this actually get better the next day? The salad does. The pork is fine cold but better eaten the same day. The zucchini and dressing get more flavorful somehow. Not sure why but it’s true.