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Do you have an abundance of zucchini or yellow squash on hand? Put it to use with this quick and tasty recipe for Sauteed Summer Squash! Made with a medley of yellow squash and zucchini, this simple side dish comes together in under 15 minutes.
Looking for more recipes using summer produce? Check out my recipes for Corn and Tomato Salad, Grilled Peaches, and Ratatouille.
My Go-to Easy Summer Squash Recipe
Looking for a tasty new side dish? Or maybe you have an overabundance of yellow squash or zucchini from your summer garden and have made all the zucchini bread and zucchini muffins you can handle?
Let me introduce you to one of my favorite vegetable side dishes, Sauteed Summer Squash.
This summer squash sauté looks impressive, thanks to a nifty trick with a veggie peeler, yet comes together in minutes. It is light, fresh, buttery, and the best way to put zucchini and/or yellow summer squash to use!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
How to Make Sauteed Summer Squash
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare Summer Squash
This summer squash sauté is made with ribbons of zucchini and/or yellow squash, both of which are varieties of summer squash. To ensure the vegetables cook up quickly, I slice the summer squash into ribbons lengthwise. While you can do this with a sharp knife or mandoline, it works best using a vegetable peeler.
Sauté Zucchini and Squash
Sauté the zucchini and squash in a bit of melted butter for richness or olive oil to keep this recipe dairy-free. Either way, your vegetables will cook quickly, and need to be stirred often until they are just crisp-tender.
Wait to Season
Wait until after removing the zucchini and squash from the heat to season. Summer squash varieties have a lot of moisture content and if you salt the vegetables while they are cooking, the squash will become soggy rather than crisp-tender.
Season Simply or Get Creative
I typically opt to just season the sauteed squash with salt and pepper and let the flavors of the butter and vegetables shine through. However, feel free to dress this sauté up with Cajun seasoning, Italian Seasoning, or Adobo Seasoning.
More Summer Squash Recipes
Let's be honest, if you have a good-sized garden, you are likely looking for more than one, or ten, recipes for yellow squash or zucchini. While you must try this simple sauteed summer squash recipe, I have more recipes perfect for that garden harvest.
Sauteed Summer Squash
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchini
- 2 small yellow squash
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash and dry 2 small zucchini and 2 small yellow squash. Using a vegetable peeler, slice or peel off thin strips of zucchini and summer squash lengthwise, forming long strands of ribbons. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to thinly slice the squash and zucchini into thin strips.
- In a medium to large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter slowly over medium-low heat.
- Once the butter has fully melted, add in the ribbons of squash and zucchini and turn heat up to medium-high. Saute for 5 minutes, or until zucchini and squash begin to wilt, turning and flipping the squash as they cook.
- Once tender, remove the pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used my mandolin to slice it into ribbons and this was ready in a flash! I paired it with some BBQ'd ribs and it was great.
Sounds like a great summer meal! Thank you for sharing, Jillene.
Got this listed for summer recipes! It's incredibly delicious and full of flavors! Soooo good!
This was such a fun way to liven up my regular boring zucchini recipe! Everyone loved it and it's my new favorite.
I love hearing this sauteed zucchini is a new favorite. We absolutely love it here ourselves. And thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
So simple to make, we serve this with just about everything in the summer! I love your recipes so much!
Thank you so much, Dana! I love hearing this and appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.