15 Summer Squash Recipes: Fritters, Pickles, Fries, Parmesan, Involtini & More

Yesterday afternoon I returned from a week away to find a dozen summer squash in my fridge. It wasn’t the best-looking lot — not pristine enough to make this raw salad or this spaghetti — but it was still absolutely fit for consumption.

I knew just the recipe to make with that 5-lb. collection of neglected courgettes: zucchini parmesan. When roasted and layered between homemade tomato sauce and parmesan, and topped with a layer of crispy bread crumbs, no one would know the days of those summer squash were numbered.

This is one of my favorite ways to put a heap of summer squash to good use. You’ll find the recipe below.

Looking for more summer squash recipes?

Here are 15 ideas:

Raw Summer Squash Salad

Summer Squash Spaghetti

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Involtini

Zucchini Bread (Award Winning 🎉🎉🎉)

Sautéed Summer Squash with Mint, Basil & Pine Nuts

Oven-Baked Zucchini Fries

Photo by Eva Kolenko forBread Toast Crumbs.

Roasted Ratatouille = The Best Ratatouille

Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers

Vegetarian Tortilla Casserole

Summer Squash Pizza with Burrata and Basil

Zucchini Pickles

Grilled Vegetable Tacos

Toasted Orecchiette with Zucchini & Corn

Zucchini Parmesan

The below recipe for zucchini parmesan follows the exact method I use to make eggplant parmesan : roast vegetables; then layer them with tomato sauce and parmesan. There’s no breading or frying here; rather the roasted squash is layered with parmesan and tomato sauce and the whole ensemble gets topped with a layer of parmesan-bread crumbs. It’s completely irresistible.

Here’s the play-by-play: Slice 3.5-5 lbs. of summer squash into 1/4-inch thick rounds. A mandoline is helpful here.

Toss the sliced squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. (An extra-large bowl is handy here.)

Roast the squash slices on two sheet pans ( x-large sheet pans are handy here.)

Layer the squash with tomato sauce and parmesan in a 9×13-inch pan.

Stir together fresh bread crumbs, parmesan, and olive oil; then …

… pile it atop the assembled casserole.

Bake until evenly golden.

Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Here are two tomato sauces I love, one calling for fresh tomatoes, one for canned. Of course, your favorite jarred sauce will work great here. I love all of the Rao’s brand sauces.

Quick, Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce (Canned Tomatoes)

Description

This is a double recipe of this long-time favorite zucchini parmesan recipe . Like this eggplant parmesan recipe , there’s no breading or frying here; rather roasted squash is layered with parmesan and tomato sauce and the whole thing gets topped with a layer of parmesan-bread crumbs. It’s completely irresistible.

• 3 1/2 to 5 lbs. summer squash, cut into 1/4 -inch thick slices
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 cup ( 3 ounces roughly) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• tomato sauce (such as this one or this one , or whatever tomato sauce you love)

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF (convection roast if you have it). Line two baking sheets — I love these extra-large baking sheets for this — with parchment (for easy cleanup). In a very large bowl (or two large bowls if you don’t have an extra-large one), dress the squash with 1/4 cup olive oil and salt to taste — be generous. Season with pepper to taste as well. Toss well — the slices should feel evenly oiled.
2. Transfer the seasoned squash to each of the prepared sheet pans and spread in an even layer — it’s OK if some of the squash are overlapping. Transfer the pans to the oven, and bake until the slices are beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Rotate the pans. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until most of the slices are golden — it’s very likely that one of the squash will look completely done and some will look like they need more time. This is fine — the goal with the roasting is mostly to remove moisture so that the finished casserole is not watery. Remove pans from the oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, toss the 2 cups bread crumbs with 1/3 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Into a 9×13-inch baking dish, spoon a small amount of sauce (about 1/2 cup), then a single layer of roasted squash, then a thin layer of parmesan. Repeat the layering until all of the squash and cheese has been used, ending with a little sauce. Top with the bread crumb mixture.
5. Bake until the squash mixture is bubbly and the top is golden, 25 minutes or so depending on size of pan and thickness of layers. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This can also be made ahead and reheated.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Description

This is a double recipe of this long-time favorite zucchini parmesan recipe . Like this eggplant parmesan recipe , there’s no breading or frying here; rather roasted squash is layered with parmesan and tomato sauce and the whole thing gets topped with a layer of parmesan-bread crumbs. It’s completely irresistible.

• 3 1/2 to 5 lbs. summer squash, cut into 1/4 -inch thick slices
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 cup ( 3 ounces roughly) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• tomato sauce (such as this one or this one , or whatever tomato sauce you love)

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF (convection roast if you have it). Line two baking sheets — I love these extra-large baking sheets for this — with parchment (for easy cleanup). In a very large bowl (or two large bowls if you don’t have an extra-large one), dress the squash with 1/4 cup olive oil and salt to taste — be generous. Season with pepper to taste as well. Toss well — the slices should feel evenly oiled.
2. Transfer the seasoned squash to each of the prepared sheet pans and spread in an even layer — it’s OK if some of the squash are overlapping. Transfer the pans to the oven, and bake until the slices are beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Rotate the pans. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until most of the slices are golden — it’s very likely that one of the squash will look completely done and some will look like they need more time. This is fine — the goal with the roasting is mostly to remove moisture so that the finished casserole is not watery. Remove pans from the oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, toss the 2 cups bread crumbs with 1/3 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Into a 9×13-inch baking dish, spoon a small amount of sauce (about 1/2 cup), then a single layer of roasted squash, then a thin layer of parmesan. Repeat the layering until all of the squash and cheese has been used, ending with a little sauce. Top with the bread crumb mixture.
5. Bake until the squash mixture is bubbly and the top is golden, 25 minutes or so depending on size of pan and thickness of layers. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This can also be made ahead and reheated.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2021/07/25/15-summer-squash-recipes-fritters-pickles-fries-parmesan-involtini-more/

This quick-pickled jalapeños recipe is ready in 5 minutes! The homemade pickle jalapeño brine uses 4 simple ingredients: equal parts water and vinegar, plus a little salt and sugar. You’ll find these sliced jalapeños to be the perfect crunchy, tangy topping for everything from pizza to tacos. Once prepared, store in the fridge for best results.

A few weeks ago I mentioned I was on a Detroit-style pizza kick. I’m still on that kick, and I’ve just shared that recipe , but first: pickled jalapeños.

One of my favorite pizzas from Emmy Squared, a Brooklyn-based Detroit-style pizza restaurant, is The Colony, a red sauce pie topped with pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and honey . It hits all the sweet-spicy-savory notes, and the combination, as you might imagine, is heavenly.

I’ve been making this pizza at home using pickled jalapeños from the grocery store, which work just fine, but when two jalapeños arrived in our farm share last week, I knew their fate.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I use one and only one pickle recipe , originating from David Lebovitz . It’s the recipe I use in this simple pickled crudité , and I’ve simplified it over the years in that I now never bother adding garlic or peppercorns or any additional seasonings, but the 4-ingredient base brine is still the same: equal parts water and vinegar plus a little salt and sugar.

It takes no time to make: heat the brine until the sugar and salt dissolve; then pour it over the vegetables. That’s it. It doubles, triples, and halves well, so you can adjust the recipe easily to whatever amount of vegetables you have on hand — often I make 4 or 6 times the recipe depending on the amount of vegetables I plan on pickling.

How to Use Pickled Jalapeños

In two words: on everything! Pickles are so nice to have on hand — what sandwich isn’t instantly transformed with the addition of a briney bite? What taco doesn’t shine a little brighter when peppered with tangy spheres?

No sandwich. No taco. I hope these pickled jalapeños find their way into your condiment collection soon. Your sandwiches and tacos ( and pizza! ) will thank you. Here are a few ideas:

• Detroit-Syle Pizza
• Simple Weeknight Tacos
• Chicken Tinga Tacos
• Chickpea Taco Bowls
• Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos
• Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Other Vegetables to Quick Pickle

ALL the vegetables. Over the years I’ve used this brine to pickle beets, turnips, carrots, radishes, peppers, onions, fennel, kohlrabi, cauliflower … everything.

How to Make Pickled Jalapeños, Step by Step

Slice up 3 to 4 jalapeños (or as many as you wish). There is no need to remove the seeds! Simply slice straight down to create spheres.

Transfer them to a glass jar. Then combine: 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan, and bring it to a simmer.

Pour the hot brine over the sliced jalapeños. Let the peppers cool completely in the brine.

Store in the fridge for months.

Sprinkle the pickled jalapeños over tacos or bake them atop pizza :

Description

This quick-pickled jalapeños recipe is ready within 5 minutes! The homemade pickle jalapeño brine uses 4 simple ingredients: equal parts water and vinegar, plus a little salt and sugar. You’ll find that these sliced jalapeños are the perfect crunchy, tangy topping for everything from pizza to tacos. Once prepared, store in the fridge for best results.

Adapted from a David Lebovitz recipe, which I’ve written about previously , this pickle recipe is the only one I use.

Salt: I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, but any kind of salt will work just fine in this recipe.

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar, such as distilled white, rice, white balsamic, or apple cider
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, see notes above
• 3 – 4 jalapeños, sliced thinly, no need to remove the seeds

1. Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir to ensure the sugar and salt are dissolved.
2. Place the jalapeños into a glass jar, such as a 2-cup Mason jar. Pour the hot pickle brine over top. Use a spoon to push the peppers down to ensure they are submerged. Let cool completely; then cover and stash in the fridge for many months.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Pickle
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American, Mexican