Online Magazine

& Cooking Club

In This Issue

Feature Articles

Making heads & tails of

the squash kingdom

6 Tricks to Take the Bland

out of Summer Squash

Zucchini Overload:

how to turn over-abundance

into advantage

5 Fast Ways to Cook Squash +

5 Simple Ways to Dress It Up

In Every Issue

Why We Love It

Top 10 Questions about Squash

The Green Kitchen

Picky Eater Tips

Money Saving Tricks

News from the Farm

Cooking School

Cooking Classes:

Greek Potato Salad

Zucchini Salad Americana

Buying the Best

Storing for Flavor

Prepping Tricks & Tips

Cooking Basics

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

14 Easy, Creative Dishes Using Summer Squash

Making Heads & Tails of the Squash Kingdom

Test squash for tenderness using a fork, then taste to make sure it suits your taste buds. If squash is not yet done, repeat previous steps, microwaving for 1 or 2 more minutes. Err on the side of shorter cooking times to avoid overcooking squash. You can always cook another minute, if necessary.

Now for the fun part: Although microwaved squash is good enough to eat plain, it’s also easily jazzed up with all sorts of condiments. See “6 Tricks to Take the Bland Out of Summer Squash” for a detailed idea list.

Microwaving is undoubtedly the easiest way to cook summer squash: no dirty pans, it’s super fast, and the cooked squash is surprisingly sweet-tasting. The only downside: you don’t get the attractively browned, crisp-tender nuggets produced by the previous methods. This isn’t a problem if all you need is a fast side, but when adding squash to another dish like BBQ Chicken Pasta or Fresh Corn Souffle, slightly mushy microwaved squash wouldn’t be as appealing as the firmer, browned squash pieces that come from sauteing, stir-frying, grilling or roasting.

How to Microwave Summer Squash

To begin, simply cut up about 1 pound of squash (about 2 medium squash.)

Pieces will cook best if they are all medium-sized (about 1-2” in diameter) and roughly equal in size.

No need to add water–the squash has enough on its own! Just stir in some salt and pepper and, if desired, a couple teaspoons of olive oil.

Be sure to use a microwave safe (preferably glass) dish with a cover.

Microwave on high for 2 minutes. . .

. . . then remove and stir. Cover again and microwave another 2 minutes.