Sautéed Zucchini and Yellow Squash with garlic and Parmesan cheese is one of the absolute easiest ways ever to enjoy your abundant crop of summer squash! These are two of my favorite veggies, and they are absolutely delicious when pan fried with garlic then tossed in Parmesan!
Try my crispy Parmesan breaded zucchini fries and baked Parmesan yellow squash rounds too!
This quick and easy sauteed zucchini and yellow squash recipe is absolutely tasty when made with some garlic and Parmesan cheese!
Sautéed Zucchini and Yellow Squash Recipe
Zucchini and yellow squash ( crookneck or straightneck ) are in the summer squash family, and along with winter squash varieties, are one of the easiest of all garden vegetables to grow. Plant your seeds and ready yourself with recipes to use up the entire spectrum of zucchini and yellow squash sizes!
On occasion, I may do something with the zucchini blossoms from the garden. And I definitely make zucchini bread with my overgrown zucchini and crook neck squash.
However, this sautéed zucchini and yellow squash with garlic and Parmesan cheese recipe is the 'most frequently used' winner! It's so flavorful and a super easy way to cook up any of your summer squash!
How To Make Sautéed Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Select 2 medium or 3 smaller zucchini and the same with the yellow squash. You will want roughly six cups total of sliced squash for the recipe.
Start with preparing your zucchini and yellow squash. Wash and cut the ends off of each squash, then slice your zucchini and yellow squash ( crookneck or straightneck ) into thin slices.
Thin slices will have an approximate cook time of 6 minutes, depending on how tender you like your squash. If you want thicker slices, the cook time should be roughly 10 minutes for fork tender zucchini.
Heat a large frying pan or skillet with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to medium high heat. Add the minced garlic, sliced zucchini, and sliced yellow squash to the heated skillet.
Season with salt and pepper, then toss the zucchini and squash to coat thoroughly with olive oil and seasoning. Continue cooking over medium high heat for 6 minutes, or until the zucchini and yellow squash have reached your desired level of tenderness. *They should be fork tender according to my family, but I like a bit more crispness personally. I would stop at 4 minutes of cooking time if I wasn't out-voted!
Once cooked, remove the skillet or frying pan with your zucchini and squash from the heat. Squeeze some lemon juice over the pan ( optional ) and then sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the squash.
Stir until well coated, then serve immediately. Enjoy!
Difference Between Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Zucchini and yellow squash are very similar summer squash varieties with the exception of color and shape. *I personally think that yellow squash is just a bit sweeter.
Zucchini is long and straight with green coloring. There are multiple varieties of zucchini that will affect the shade of green, and there is even a grey zucchini that is usually a light shade of grey - green with spots ( aka harukan or calabacita squash, a Mexican food staple ).
Yellow squash is usually rounded at the base and tapers up the neck of the squash to where it was attached to the plant stem. Yellow Squash comes in 'straight neck' or 'crook neck' varieties, where the straight neck is exactly what it sounds like while the crook neck makes a hook-like shape with its curved neck.
Both zucchini and yellow squash taste great pan fried, oven roasted, air fried, skewered and grilled, and they're even great in soups like my Caldo de Pollo Mexicano (Mexican Chicken Soup)! This is also true of some of my other favorite summer squash varieties like patty pan ( or scallop squash ), costata romanesco ( an Italian heirloom squash ), baby round zucchini, and cube of butter squash.
More Vegetable Side Dishes:
- Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds
- Hibachi Vegetables
- Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Walnuts
- Skillet Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan
- Garlic Green Beans
- Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Red Miso Roasted Cauliflower
Sauteed Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 Tbsp garlic (minced)
- 3 zucchini (small to medium - washed, trimmed, and thin sliced)
- 3 yellow squash (small to medium - washed, trimmed, and thin sliced)
- each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated, more to taste)
- ¼ lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or frying pan and olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, zucchini, and yellow squash.
- Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine. Continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the zucchini and squash reach your desired level of tenderness.
- Once done, remove the zucchini and squash from heat and squeeze the lemon juice over. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, then stir until well coated.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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