Heating the house and spending hours cooking is not what any of us want out of a summer meal. The first meal we’re presenting is our go-to meal when we need something fast and easy. And all you need is a knife; cutting board; skillet and wooden spatula. It doesn’t get any easier!
There is a running joke in our area that if you leave your windows down in the summer don’t be surprised that your front seat is full of zucchini. When zucchini plants start producing they go great guns; so we try to sneak them into every meal we can – even breakfast!
Cast iron has a bit of a learning curve to it, but it is not hard to learn. Once you master cast iron you will never use anything else! It is nearly indestructible; timeless and develops the most delicious flavors in your cooking. When you care for the finish the pans become non-stick. I can slip a fried egg out of my pans just like a non-stick pan.
Seasoning the pan is not as scary as most people think. Use this method every time you wash your pan or if it looks dry.
- Simply wipe the pan with a thin coat of oil. Make sure there are no drips and that all excess is removed from the surface of the pan
- Put the pan on the burner and turn to medium-high heat.
- Leave the pan on the burner until small wisps of smoke start to form.
- Remove from heat and allow cooling. You just seasoned your pan!
Some of the other meals we enjoy with summer squash
- Grilled zucchini slices on hamburgers
- Bacon and zucchini Quiché (Want a gluten-free crust you can roll out? Grab Gluten Free Pastry Basics e-course)
- Zucchini muffins
- Chop and freeze for soup in the winter
- Diced and sautéed summer squash works great in place of sweet corn (especially yummy in black bean salad!)
- Sautéed in coconut oil with salt and pepper as a side dish (delicious for breakfast with eggs!)
Sausage Zucchini Skillet
- 1 pound polish sausage – grass fed; precooked (sliced)
- 2 pounds summer squash (quartered and sliced)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 4-6 crimini or button mushrooms (sliced)
- 10-12 ounces cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 2 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- parsley to garnish or chopped and added for flavor
- Cut sausage and vegetables as called for in the recipe above.
- Heat a large (12″ skillet) cast iron skillet then add oil.
- Once the oil begins to shimmer add in the onions. Stir occasionally and cook until they begin to caramelize.
- Add mushrooms and pour in 1/4 cup of water. Steam will quickly rise from the pan so be careful.
- Add sausage. Stir occasionally and cook until the sausage begins to release the juices.
- Now stir in zucchini; cover and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Toss the tomatoes; salt and pepper into the mixture. Let stand for 1-2 minutes then serve.
- *This recipe can serve 4 people, or you can add a bed of rice and serve 6-8 people.
