Is your vegetable garden becoming overrun with zucchini, or are neighbors leaving unexpected boxes of summer squash at your doorstep? Even if this is not the case, supermarkets and farmer’s markets are overflowing this time of year with fresh produce—among them myriads of squashes. What better way to highlight summer’s bounty than to serve a healthy vegetable sauté—in this case with summer squash.
With a short list of ingredients and a few easy steps, you can throw this together lickety-split. The longer you cook the squash, the creamier and softer the sauté becomes.
Summer Squash Sauté
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs. summer squashes (zucchini, patty pan, yellow), quartered and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 Shallots, diced
- 2 Garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
- 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped, more for garnish
- 8-10 Grape tomatoes halved; OR 1 large ripe tomato (preferably heirloom), cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet.
- Add shallots and cook over medium-low heat until just tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and squash, cook over medium heat, stirring until squash begins to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Cover and cook over low heat until nice and tender, about 10 minutes.
- Toss in tomatoes and chopped basil, cover and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Scrape into serving bowl and garnish with more fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Accounting for Taste 