Summer Squash Sauté, an easy summer main course in less than 30 minutes
A few slices of lightly topped bruschetta, a bit of cheese, perhaps some seasonal fruit. When it comes to dinner on those hot muggy days of summer, sometimes a simple meal of fresh garden vegetables such as a quick Summer Squash Sauté alongside a couple of small bites suits perfectly as a main course all in less than 30 minutes.
Last week I picked the bright golden summer squash growing in my garden for today’s dish but the week before I prepared a similar version of today’s Summer Squash Sauté using green zucchini, either way is delicious.
Both dishes were a surprising hit individually plated, highlighting the bright colors and contrasts between the first ripe garden tomatoes and freshly snipped herbs.
With so many choices and combinations of vegetable recipes abounding sometimes it’s easy to forget featuring just one single vegetable while in its seasonal abundance.
Most summer vegetables simply prepared require little embellishment and often finish well with a generous portion of fresh grated Parmesan cheese scattered on top, including Summer Squash Saute, an easy summer main course in less than 30 minutes.
Summer Squash Sauté, an easy summer main course in less than 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 5-6 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 2 onions, halved, sliced into half moons
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 5-6 mid size yellow summer squash, cut bite size
- 4-5 tomatoes, chopped
- few pinches each coarse kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- 1/3 cup, fresh grated Parmesan cheese, more or less
- 1/8 cup fresh chopped herbs such as chives, parsley, basil, lemon balm
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick saute pan on medium high heat, tumble in the summer squash. Let squash sear a couple of minutes before stirring, shake pan, continue cooking another few minutes until squash is lightly golden all around, reduce heat and cook a few more minutes until squash is softened. Sprinkle with a good pinch each salt and pepper, turn off heat.
- Heat 2- 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan on very, very low heat, add in the onions, cook for ten minutes until very soft, scrape in garlic, cook three to four minutes before toppling in tomatoes, stir, increase heat, cooking five minutes to reduce tomato liquid a bit, sprinkle mixture with a good pinch each salt and pepper, stir in cooked summer squash, simmer mixture a few minutes for ingredient flavors to blend. Check seasoning, adjust to taste. Plate squash saute, sprinkle over Parmesan then scatter over chives, parsley or other assorted fresh herbs
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