Since yellow squash has a mild flavor by itself, we immediately drizzle it with a vibrant herb oil after it has finished cooking. We top it up with a thick layer of delicious panko for crunch. Please be warned that this topping is quite addicting. It feels thick and cheesy despite being entirely vegan, thanks to our simple vegan Parmesan. It adds a delicious finishing touch to the soft, herb-flecked squash in this straightforward recipe.
What is Yellow Squash?
A vegetable that can be eaten, yellow squash is a member of the same genus as cucumbers, gourds, melons, pumpkins, and zucchini. The squash is one of North America’s most widely used varieties of summer squash because it is simple to cultivate in a vegetable garden. The two primary kinds of vegetables are straightneck and crookneck squash. The former has bright skin that ranges in hue from butter yellow to lemon yellow and is smooth (sometimes not). Straight squash has a narrowing cylinder form, as suggested by its name, with a mild flavor with intriguing undertones of black pepper and almonds.
Additionally, after cooking, the vegetable has a distinct buttery flavor. Similar to crookneck squash, it features a curved neck that eventually spreads at the vegetable’s base. Its flavor has a buttery flavor characteristic similar to the yellow straightneck. Both varieties are often harvested when the veggies are up to six inches long. This is because overripe yellow squash develops a tough rind, lumps, and bumps on its skin, which affects the vegetable’s texture and flavor. The versatile vegetable yellow squash is fantastic for everything, including chili and basic summer salads, as well as grilling and casseroles.
Types of Yellow Squash
Most frequently, when someone uses the term “Summer squash,” they refer to the yellow type. There are two typical forms of them—Both a straight and crook neck. The recipes listed below can employ either of these kinds. Although they have similar tastes, there are a few minor variations:
Straightneck: More frequently seen in retail settings. Compared to crookneck variants, its skin is smoother and thinner. It tastes smooth and mild.
Crookneck – Has skin that is significantly thicker and bumpier. Although it occasionally develops with a straighter neck, it frequently has a more pronounced, bulbous end and a crook-neck (thus the name) near the stem (like the picture above). The flavor is a little nuttier than the straight-neck variety, and cooking time may be longer due to the thicker, waxier skin.
Yellow Squash Nutrition
Yellow squash is a fantastic, nutrient-dense vegetable high in vitamin C, vitamin B-6, and potassium. It is a fruit, but let’s not get into technicalities. In addition, it has 2.2g of fiber, 7g of carbs, and 31 calories. It’s a fantastic veggie for people living a ketogenic or low-carb lifestyle.
How to Cook Yellow Squash?
Squash may be prepared in so many different ways. It may be grilled, baked, roasted, sautéed, air fried, or steamed. Here are our top 4 simple ways to prepare yellow summer squash:
Apply salt and olive oil to the surface. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until tender. Sliced, halved, or sliced into pieces after being roasted (or baked). Add other vegetables to create a delectable roasted vegetable medley.
Sliced or sliced into tiny pieces, sauté over medium-high heat in butter for 10-15 minutes, or until soft. Add pepper or salt to the food (see ideas below).
Cut into thick slices or wedges after being grilled. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until tender, after brushing with vegetable oil. Each time you flip, add salt.
Brush with olive oil and salt for air-fried foods—Eight minutes of air frying at 375 degrees with a half flip. If necessary, season again after flipping.
Ingredients
- Four butternut squash (medium-sized)
- butter in 3 tablespoons (or olive oil)
- salt of kosher to flavor
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
- Further Toppings (optional, see ideas above)
Herb oil
- one teaspoon of lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil, one tablespoon
- One tiny clove of grated garlic
- Two teaspoons of finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- black pepper freshly ground
Bread Crumb Topping
- Panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup
- quarter cup vegan parmesan
- a tbsp. of minced parsley
- 1/4-6 tsp. of sea salt
- an optional sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Round the squash up to 1/4 inch thick. Slice the rounds of squash into half-moons if it is a large one.
- To make the herb oil, put the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a container with a tight-fitting lid and shake to blend.
- To prepare the topping, mix the panko, Vegan Parmesan, parsley, salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if preferred, in a small bowl.
- Warm a sizable skillet over medium heat with a few drizzles of olive oil. Add the squash and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure even cooking on all sides. I prefer to cook mine until it is tender but retains a hard bite, not until it is overly wet and mushy. Toss with the herb oil after removing it from the skillet. If desired, garnish with the panko mixture and fresh herbs.
What does Yellow Squash Taste Like?
Yellow squash has a mellow flavor with hints of black pepper and almonds, as was previously noted. When cooked, the squash’s buttery flavor characteristic is more pronounced. Even though the veggie is already bite-sized when fresh, cooking it also makes it softer. A favorite variety among farmers’ market gardeners, yellow crookneck squash has a buttery flavor and a creamy texture. All summer squash, whether steamed, sautéed, poached, roasted, or grilled, is nutty-sweet and delightful when cooked to the tenderest perfection.
Sweet dumping squash is a small, compact vegetable with white-yellow skin and green striations with a sweet potato or corn-like flavor. Squash can be kept whole in the refrigerator for up to three months. How to utilize it Sweet dumpling squash is a nice alternative to pumpkin or sweet potato since it has edible skin. Despite having a similar texture to zucchini, yellow squash doesn’t taste like it. A less sweet and more intense flavor characterizes zucchini.
Add Some Toppings
Here’s when it gets fun. I enjoy adding interesting garnishes and seasonings to my roasted squash to give variety. Of course, a simple salt and pepper spice is always a good choice. It’s perfectly acceptable to occasionally only want to emphasize the flavors that nature provides. But occasionally, trying something new is enjoyable. Here are some of my preferred methods for variety:
Seasoned Panko Breadcrumbs: You can add the breadcrumbs after cooking or add them in advance if you are baking, roasting, or air-frying your squash. Brush some oil or cooking spray on top to aid in the breadcrumbs’ adhesion.
Flaked Parmesan Cheese: This is a remarkably quick and simple approach to boost flavor. Add copious amounts of parmesan cheese just before serving (not the powdered kind, try to use the shredded or flaked).
Grill Seasoning: Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse Blend seasoning is my go-to grill seasoning for this squash (see above). I purchased this item from Costco, and I use it on everything. It enhances the flavor of the squash well. Add this seasoning if you want to go all out, then top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. It’s heavenly, I assure you.
How to Store Yellow Squash?
Imagine you harvested too many yellow squashes from your vegetable garden to consume for a day. Keeping the summer squash in storage is the greatest thing to do! Yellow squash may be kept in the refrigerator easily. Remember that placing the vegetables in the coldest area of your refrigerator will cause them to turn brown and degrade. Orange squashes plastic bag, zip-top bag Refrigerator Put the summer squashes in a plastic or zipper bag. Making sure the bags aren’t overstuffed with vegetables is crucial. Place the bags in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
In addition to refrigeration, you can also store summer squash the traditional way. When kept in the refrigerator properly, uncooked yellow squash can be kept for six to eight days. This procedure results in rougher vegetables containing more seeds, but the squash will keep for about two to three weeks. Frank Burkard Jr. from show garden claims that after leaving his squashes in the field to be protected by their leaves, he transfers the vegetables into a cooler area once they have hardened.
Do you have to Peel Yellow Squash?
Yellow squash doesn’t need to be peeled. However, you might think about peeling the vegetable if the skin has any brown spots on it. Use a peeler to remove the squash’s skin easily, then cut out any bad sections before cooking and eating the remaining squash. Yellow squash doesn’t need to be peeled. They are also known as summer squash and have soft skin that can be cooked together with the squash. However, you can peel the squash like a potato if you have a severe aversion to the skin. The skin and seeds of zucchini, yellow squash, and crookneck squash are all entirely edible.
The skin of pattypan squash is typically edible. However, the skin becomes harder the bigger the squash becomes. Spend some time roasting a larger pattypan to soften the skin; you might also want to remove the large seeds. They can be eaten raw or cooked and are occasionally called “soft shell squash.” Unlike winter squash, which has hard seeds and a tough shell that must be removed, the entire squash can be eaten. Zucchini and yellow squash are the most popular summer squash. They are fully edible, which is one of their advantages.
Can you Eat Raw Yellow Squash?
You could consume yellow squash raw. Both savory and sweet meals can use veggie. But remember that if you’re planning to serve the vegetable raw, you should pick little yellow squash. Small yellow squashes are sweeter and less bitter than huge ones, which is the reason. Most individuals don’t eat raw pumpkins. And that’s excellent news because cooked squash is far more nutrient-dense (including all varieties, such as zucchini and acorn squash), according to Bazilian.
Any kind can be consumed uncooked. Shred raw summer squash for a taco filler or to replace lettuce on a burger or hot dog. To make a slaw using jicama and radishes, shred. To prevent the shredded vegetables from diluting the dressing, squeeze out as much moisture as possible from them. Although eating raw zucchini is normally harmless, sometimes it cannot be very pleasant. This suggests that it contains a lot of cucurbitacins, which are potentially hazardous chemicals. Cucurbitacin poisoning from commercial kinds is quite unusual, though.
Conclusion
The quality of your ingredients matters when preparing a straightforward meal that emphasizes fresh vegetables. You can’t make a wonderful Caprese salad without sweet, tart tomatoes, and without luscious peaches, peach cobbler isn’t very good. Using the best yellow squash, you can find here will pay off. Yellow squash in small to medium sizes should be found at grocery stores or farmers’ markets.
Buy summer squash that isn’t excessively thick or lengthy. They should have firm, vivid skin that is shiny; soft patches are a symptom of rot. They are frequently bland and have a spongy, seedy, and watery texture. If in doubt, pick the smallest squash you can find. They will have a firm/tender inside and a mildly sweet flavor.
