Sheet pan summer squash
Olive oil, salt and pepper allow the flavor of the vegetables to shine.
I picked up beautiful zucchini and yellow squash at my farmers market and couldn’t wait to prepare them as part of an easy weeknight dinner. I love using sheet pans to roast vegetables because I don’t have to stand over the stove stirring for more than a half-hour.
It’s such a time-saver and, by using the broiler at the end, you get the caramelized look and the flavor of grilled vegetables without the extra work.
I enjoy the simplicity of using olive oil, salt and pepper to allow the flavor of the vegetables to shine. When the vegetables are fresh and local, this is a way to cook them to bring out their best.
Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
Ingredients:
2 medium yellow summer squash
2 medium zucchini squash
1½-2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Set the oven to 425 F and place the wire rack in the upper third of the oven.
Wash the squash and slice off both ends.
Cut the squash vertically into ¼-inch-wide pieces — I usually get 4-5 pieces per squash.
Place the squash in a single layer on a large sheet pan. Don’t line the pan with parchment paper because it will burn when you put on the broiler.
Drizzle the olive oil over the squash; if you have a pastry/sauce brush, use that to spread the oil over the top of all the pieces.
Sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper, and pop it into a preheated oven to roast for 20-25 minutes.
There is no need to turn the squash during cooking, but if you’d like to get both sides browned, gently flip them before you put the broiler on and roast for an additional 5-7 minutes or until fork-tender.
Every oven runs a bit differently, so stay close to the oven while these are broiling. A few charred spots add to the flavor, but you don’t want the squash to blacken.
Allow the squash to cool for a few minutes before serving.
I find this to be the easiest way to cook squash. You can follow the same recipe for other kinds of squash, like delicata squash — but you may need to cook a firmer squash for an extra 5-10 minutes because of the denser consistency of the flesh.
Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC
Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
comments