How to cook squash?

[tdejarnette]

My daughter picked out a little yellow squash at the grocery and I've never cooked one before. Any good ideas? I'm making meatloaf tonight. I also have some carrots, green beans and mushrooms.

[Uncle Bob]

A quick Idea...
Saute the carrots, geen beans, mushrooms, and the yellow squash in a little EVOO..salt and pepper...The squash will cook quickly..do not over-cook as it will be mushy.

[StirBlue]

Yellow Squash can be cooked by many methods. It can also be sliced and served with a vegetable dip.
Many people slice it to about 1/4" circle slices, coat in seasoned (S&P) flour and pan fry. (When the coating is brown, the squash will be done as it takes very little time for it to cook.)
It can be sliced or cubed and steamed; Served with butter/margarine and s&p.

[BreezyCooking]

I 2nd mixing it in with the other veggies. However the carrots will probably need a little more time unless you shred or julienne them. Green beans will also take a little longer than the squash, which will probably equal the mushrooms as far as cooking time.

When you say "little yellow squash", are you talking about the long yellow summer squash, or the small round "pattypan" squashes? Both are quick cookers, but the size & the way they're cut will determine timing.

[tdejarnette]

I think it would called a crook neck? It is only about 4 inches long. I usually cook the green beans by coating with oil and seasonings and baking until slightly roasted. Would this work with squash slices, too?

[Katie H]

If it's yellow crookneck or straightneck squash, you can slice it about 1/4-inch thick and dip it in flour, then beaten egg, and, finally, in bread crumbs (seasoned or not, your preference) and lightly fry it in canola oil. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper immediately after it is removed from the frying medium. Make sure you drain it on a wire rack. Not paper towels. Draining on a wire rack will help to preserve the crispiness after being fried.

You can do this with zucchini, too. Yummy.

Sometimes I sprinkle mine with Parmesan cheese. That's good, too.

[BreezyCooking]

Tdejarnette - that method should work just fine with the squash. Just don't cut the slices too thin. You also might want to put the squash slices on one side & the beans on the other - then mix them together when finished. This way, if the squash cooks faster you can take it out while the beans finish.

[shannon in KS]

My kid is a squash and/or zucchini freak! It's my fault! I keep it simple, quarter the squash, and high-heat, flash stir fry in a small amount of butter or EVOO, dash of salt and pepper, finish with fresh chopped parsley. I have also baked it, then added alfredo sauce on top- seemed to go over well. But, my kid would eat squash straight off the vine, too... if i'd let her. If your kids like this squash, find them spaghetti squash- they will LOVE it. My daughter will forego allowance sometimes if I bribe her with spaghetti squash. no, really.

[tdejarnette]

Thanks everyone! I did the olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper in the oven, since I was cooking the green beans that way (I do them with rosemary and garlic powder) My daughter liked it and said she wanted it again, and my husband really liked it. It sure had lots of seeds though, not much left after scraping them out! I definately want to try the sphagetti squash.

[Katie H]

Originally Posted by tdejarnette

It sure had lots of seeds though, not much left after scraping them out! I definately want to try the sphagetti squash.

You don't have to remove the seeds. They are completely edible.

[BreezyCooking]

Yes - the seeds of young summer squashes like zucchini & crookneck are totally soft & edible - even moreso than cucumber. The only time you'd remove them is if you were trying to cook an old baseball-bat-size monster.

[YT2095]

Hollow it out and put your meatloaf Mix inside it :)
just make the mix more Dry than usual.

I cut mine in half, scoop out the seeds score the inside with a knife but no too deep, rub with a little salt and leave it stand for an hour.
drain them (liquid will form in the bowls).
then pack with pre-cooked Lamb or beef mince and soaked (but not boiled) Rice, along with chili peppers, onion fenugreek leaves salt/pepper to taste and any other spices you like (it`s Very flexible recipe), then when the bowls are full top with some cheese and then wrap them in 2 layers of tin foil and bake in the oven for a good hour and a half on about 200c

put the whole thing foil and all into a Bowl each, then Very carefully open the foil, you WILL get steam burns if not carefull!

serve with some crusty bread :)

[Chopstix]

Make squash soup! It's the only way I prepare squash.

Also a popular Filipino dish is squash cubes sauteed until soft with onions, fresh shrimps, shrimp paste, coconut milk, and fish sauce. You can add chilies for a kick. Yum!

[GrannyG]

These are good recipes for yellow squash casseroles. I have tons of recipes for squash, we grow alot of it and just love it.

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Squash Casserole #1

Prepare 1 package of jalapeno cornbread mix by directions.
Brown one onion in 1/2 cup margarine.
Add:
3 cups boiled squash, drained
1 can cream style corn
1 cup shredded cheese
1 can chopped green chilies (small)
Combine all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees till done, about 30 minutes.
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Squash Casserole #2

3 cups fresh squash, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated cheese
Cracker or bread crumbs

Cook squash until tender. Grease casserole dish, layer squash,onion,
and soup. Top with cheese and crumbs. Bake in 350 degree oven
till the cheese is melted good and onions have time to cook a little.
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[nina-gold]

Hi Tdejarnette, here in England, a nice way to cook butternut squash is to simmer it with garlic (like mashed potatoe) and then mash in some grated cheese. Yummy!! Not sure whether your squash is the same

Nina

[kimbaby]

i like to stew my squash or fry it or make casserole with the yellow variety.

[Candocook]

When picking your squash the next time choose small ones. The seeds are there but very much a part of the flesh. If you could scrape out the seeds I think your squash might have been big and/or old.
When squash (yellow or zukes) is fresh the skin almost has a "stickiness" to it--when you run your hand over it it sort of feels "catchy"--hard to describe. Anyway, the smaller the better for squash.