Zucchini—and, more generally, all soft summer squash—is one of the most unloved vegetables out there. And for good reason: Served up as a perfunctory, squishy, under-seasoned side at restaurants everywhere, we aren't given all that many reasons to like the stuff. But we would argue that the vegetable's withering reputation has a lot to do with operator error. When it's cooked poorly, it tastes bad. But that's not zucchini's fault! If you're a squash hater, there's a good chance that you just haven't had it prepared in a way that really made it sing. And we've got a few ideas for ways to cook it that are sure to convert.
But before we get into those methods, we just want to provide one valuable piece of advice that applies in all cases. Summer squash needs to be seasoned heavily. It’s a porous vegetable that’s filled with water (not quite as much as a cucumber, but still quite a bit). That means that it wants a lot of kosher salt. Don’t be shy with seasoning. Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are three ways to prepare summer squash so it can live a glorious life on your plate all summer long.
Jammy squash makes for great pasta sauce.
The Long Cook
When sautéed past the crisp-tender stage, zucchini can go mushy, which is a turn-off for a lot of people. But one of our favorite ways to enjoy summer squash is to really lean into that potential for "softness"—sounds better than "mushiness," right?—by cooking it gently for an extended period of time with plenty of grassy olive oil, aromatics, and salt. This allows a lot of the water in the vegetable to cook out, concentrating its flavor and creating a jammy, silky, almost sauce-like texture. We like to simmer it until the squash has started to brown and really collapse, and then use that as the base for a simple summer pasta, a spread for toast, or a side for simply grilled fish or pork. However you serve it, hit it with some fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon for contrast, and watch the haters fall in line.
