Squash Season
It is a brave new world in our house now, with a teenage driver behind the wheel. It is exciting and terrifying all at once. Here in North Carolina, once a teen has a driver’s permit, they must practice driving on the roads for 60 hours before getting their license to drive. This gives our daughter lots of opportunities to run errands with us. Suddenly, we need to run to the store for milk, or up town for coffee.
Unfortunately for all of us, I find much more zen in the kitchen than I do on the road with my teen. Fortunately for me, summer is one of the best times to play in the kitchen, as gardens and farmers markets are bursting with fresh fruits and veggies.
If you have been to a farmers market lately, or you have a friend with a large garden, you will know it is squash season. Fields are busting with zucchini and yellow squash. These veggies in particular are delicious and exciting to start, but can soon overwhelm your kitchen counter tops.
What to do with all of those squash?? One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is to sauté them together as a delicious and fresh side dish. It not only uses up the squash quite nicely but it is a nice break from side salads and frozen veggies.
This side dish comes together in a flash and is the perfect accompaniment to almost any meal – grilled chicken, pork, steak or seafood. Calling it a recipe is really a bit of stretch, once you have made it a time or 2, you will never need to look at the recipe again.
Wash the fresh squash and zucchini and cut them lengthwise, then slice each half in smaller slices that suit your preference. Set them aside while you mince some fresh garlic. Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick pan, then toss the squash and zucchini in the pan and sauté until they are just starting to soften. Add the garlic and sauté a bit more, then add the Italian seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of zip.
If you have fresh herbs from your garden, that’s even better. Add some fresh basil, oregano, anything you have. Cook just a bit longer, then remove from the heat. Sprinkle on the cheese to add a bit of creaminess and lure the kids in.
That’s it. Simple, fresh and delicious.
Feel free to shake up the seasonings to suit your entree, add more spice or leave out the red pepper flakes all together if you wish.
Of course, there are a million other ways to use squash and zucchini. If you have a favorite recipe to use them up, I would love to hear about it.
AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginnerMince the fresh garlic and set aside.
Wash and cut the zucchini and yellow squash into quarters and place in a bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet and toss in the zucchini and squash. Sauté for about 5 minutes, just until they start to soften.
Push the squash from the center and toss in the garlic. Mix in and sauté another 2 minutes.
Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes then sauté another minute or so.
Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the veggies then stir to melt.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and serve warm.
Ingredients
Directions
Mince the fresh garlic and set aside.
Wash and cut the zucchini and yellow squash into quarters and place in a bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet and toss in the zucchini and squash. Sauté for about 5 minutes, just until they start to soften.
Push the squash from the center and toss in the garlic. Mix in and sauté another 2 minutes.
Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes then sauté another minute or so.
Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the veggies then stir to melt.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and serve warm.
*Recipe adapted from www.kraftfoods.com
2 Comments
Tracey Perry
I made a squash casserole the other night and it was a big hit. It was kind of a mashup of a couple different recipes I found online. It had 2 eggs, some diced onion, a cup or so of sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese and shredded Parmesan, and topped with crumbled Ritz crackers. I did have to sauté the squash first, so a bit more work but then it was really simple and really yummy!
admin
Sounds delicious! Now that’s YOUR recipe and I would love to try it!