What Is Yellow summer squash and How Can I Use It?

Here's everything worth knowing about yellow summer squash and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 169 recipes to cook tonight.

What is yellow summer squash?

Yellow summer squash is a soft, thin-skinned squash picked young, while the rind is still tender enough to eat. It belongs to the same species as zucchini and tastes much the same: mild, faintly sweet, a little grassy.

The flesh is pale and watery and cooks in minutes. Most of what you buy is straightneck, with a smooth tapered body, or yellow crookneck, with a bent, often bumpy neck. They cook the same way, and you peel neither one.

This is a warm-weather crop, cheapest and best from June through early fall, when home gardeners are handing it out by the bagful.

Cooking With Yellow Summer Squash

The flesh is mostly water, so the whole game is getting moisture out before it turns to mush. Two reliable ways: cook it hot and fast, or salt it first.

For a saute, slice into coins about ⅓ inch thick and get the pan and oil properly hot. Leave the pieces alone long enough to brown on one side before tossing. Crowding the pan steams the squash gray instead of searing it.

On the grill, cut planks lengthwise and brush them with oil, then lay them over direct heat for a few minutes a side until you get char marks. Grilled wedges turn up in California Grilled Veggie Sandwich and Grilled Vegetable Pizza, where the smoke does a lot of the flavoring.

Roasting works too. Cut it into chunks, toss with oil, then roast at 425°F (220°C) until the edges color, as in Roasted Squash & Fennel with Thyme.

For casseroles like Cheese Squash Casserole, the squash is usually cooked down and bound with cheese and egg, so a little extra water is forgiven.

Pairings and Common Mistakes

Yellow squash is mild, so it leans on what you cook it with. It loves garlic and onion, fresh basil and thyme, parmesan and feta, tomatoes, corn, and a finish of lemon or black pepper.

It plays well with other summer vegetables, which is why it shows up in ratatouille and grilled-veggie pizzas.

The classic mistake is the watery pan. Squash dumps liquid as it heats, and if it pools, the pieces simmer in it and collapse.

Salting sliced squash with about ½ teaspoon per pound, resting it 15 to 30 minutes, then squeezing in a towel pulls that water out ahead of time. Skip the salt step and you must cook hot and uncrowded instead.

Overcooking is the other trap. The skin gives a little structure, but the flesh goes from tender to baby food fast, so pull it while the slices still hold their shape.

Substitutes

Zucchini is the natural swap, one for one, with no change in method. The two are interchangeable in almost any saute or bake; you just lose the yellow color.

Yellow crookneck and pattypan squash are the same summer-squash family and behave identically, so use them straight across. Pattypan is firmer and good for stuffing.

For a sturdier, drier result, chayote holds its shape better and stays slightly crisp. Eggplant can stand in for grilling and ratatouille, though it drinks more oil. Winter squashes like butternut squash are not a substitute here: they are dense and starchy and sweet, a different vegetable entirely.

Buying and Storing

Pick squash that feel firm and heavy with taut, glossy skin. Smaller is better: a squash six to eight inches long has thin skin and tender flesh and tiny seeds, while a baseball-bat marrow from the garden turns spongy and pithy with tough seeds inside.

Press a thumbnail near the stem. It should meet a little resistance. Soft spots or a dull, wrinkled rind mean it is past its best.

Store unwashed in the crisper, loosely bagged so it can breathe, and use it within four or five days. The thin skin bruises and pits, and cold sitting water speeds rot, so do not wash until you cook.

Cut squash dries out fast, so wrap it and use within a day or two.

To freeze, slice and blanch in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then cool in ice water and drain well before packing. Frozen squash goes soft on thawing, so save it for soups and casseroles rather than a crisp saute.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find yellow summer squash: Yellow summer squash is usually found in the produce section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Yellow summer squash is a member of the Vegetables and Vegetable Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

黄色西葫芦

British (UK) term

Yellow summer squash

en français

courge d'été jaune

en español

amarillo calabaza de verano

How much does yellow summer squash weigh?

Related

Vegetables and Vegetable Products

Recipes using yellow summer squash

There are 169 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Beef & Zucchini Stuffed Tomatoes

Paleo friendly. Tomatoes stuffed with beef, pesto and topped with an egg.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Tomato & Olives Tapenade

Instead of mayonnaise, use sun-dried tomato and olives tapenade to spread the sandwich, which gives the sandwich tangy flavor. Grilling adds the nice smokiness into the these juicy and tender summer vegetables. Delicious and light summer sandwiches.

California Grilled Veggie Sandwich

A great summer sandwich! Tasty and light, grilling gives the vegetables nice smoky taste. A little bit garlic and lemon juice brighten up the mayonnaise; feta cheese gives the cheesiness and slightly saltiness, which is a great additional topping of the sandwich.

Garden Primavera Fettuccini

"This delicious main dish is really open to your own taste in fresh vegetables. Feel free to switch your favorites for your not-so-favorite ones. Some have even suggested adding mushrooms, garlic, diced cooked chicken and extra sauce."

Vegetable Italian Spaghetti Sauce

A garden vegetable spaghetti sauce loaded with peppers, zucchini, and summer squash, slow-simmered with garlic and a big handful of herbs. A meatless, freezer-friendly marinara for using up the garden.

Vegetable Italian Spaghetti Sauce

A garden vegetable spaghetti sauce loaded with peppers, zucchini, and summer squash, slow-simmered with garlic and a big handful of herbs. A meatless, freezer-friendly marinara for using up the garden.

Grilled Summer Vegetable Taco

We used leftover grilled vegetable salad to make these quick tacos, and they were very yummy!

Grilled Summer Vegetable Pizza with Basil Pesto & Feta

Grilled pizza is absolutely flavorful, grilling develops the smokey flavor, and crispy texture on both the vegetables and the crust. This easy grilled pizza is spread with basil pesto as the base, topped with grilled fresh summer vegetables and feta cheese, yum, yum!

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Grilled vegetables, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese are layered over a homemade pizza crust. It tastes freshly delicious! So much better than the store-bought frozen pizza .

Mama Leilas Jalapeno Soup

This recipe comes from our friend Leila Best in Facebook, it is one of her favorite recipes; we really appreciate that she shares the recipe with us here, thanks Leilas! And hope everyone will enjoy this delicious recipe!

Cheesy Baked Whole Wheat Penne with Roasted Fresh Vegetables

Tons of refreshing flavour is all in this delicious dish.

Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad with Cherry Tomatoes & Feta Cheese

Summer squash, zucchini and fennel bulb are all freshly seasonal. Fire up the BBQ, grill these fresh vegetables, toss with juicy cherry tomates, a light and tasty vinaigrette and feta cheese. You can pair it with any grilled meat. Next day the leftover can be wrapped into wraps, or tortillas, or topping for pizza, another quick, easy and delicious meal!

Healthy Farmer's Market Vegetarian Quesadillas

Quick and easy to make, light, tasty and crispy. Serve with sour cream, salsa or guacamole.

Cheese Squash Casserole

I made extra cracker crumbs and mixed them with some of the cheese to sprinkle over the top. A very rich but delicious casserole. Thanks for sharing.

Roasted Squash & Fennel with Thyme

We love this simple and tasty recipe, toasted fennel adds more flavor to the squash, and they are fresh and tasty.

New York Goodwich

A delicious dish made with broccoli florets, yellow squash, red cabbage and alfalfa sprouts.

Spinach Fettucini with Ginger Chicken

Try this succulent dish that brings a variety of different flavors to your dinner table.

Toasted Summer Turkey Sandwich

This toasted sandwich is perfect for summer. With grilled yellow summer squash, fresh deli turkey and a medly of spices it melts in your mouth and awakens your summer spirit...

Pasta Provencal

Pasta Provencal tosses delicate angel hair with a light, brothy tomato sauce full of summer squash, mushrooms, scallions, and fresh basil. A quick, vegetable-forward weeknight dinner finished with Parmesan.

Mixed Summer Vegetable Salad

Store-bought non-fat salad dressing makes this salad as simple as can be. Crunchy vegetables make it tasty and low in fat.

Stir Fried Island Chicken/Peanut Garlic Sauce

Island-style chicken stir-fry in a creamy peanut-curry sauce with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and red curry paste. Loaded with carrots, zucchini, squash, bean sprouts, and crunchy chopped peanuts.

Pate De Poulet En Gelee

Pâté de poulet en gelée layers poached chicken, broiled chicken livers, poached vegetables, and apple in individual aspic molds. Elegant French cold starter set in savory gelatin.

Soy Seared Tuna with Orange Sauce

Soy-glazed seared tuna steaks over mixed greens with caramelized onions, summer squash, and a fiery orange-curry-habanero sauce. A restaurant-worthy plate at home.

Tangy Chicken Breasts Baked with Black Bean Salsa

Lime-cumin marinated chicken breasts baked on a bed of black beans, zucchini, squash, and fresh tomatoes. A colorful, high-protein one-pan Tex-Mex dinner with built-in salsa.

Chilled Rice Salad

Nutty brown rice tossed with mineral-rich arame seaweed, bright peas, crunchy daikon, and a toasted sesame-rice vinegar dressing. A wholesome chilled salad that's naturally vegan and packed with plant-based goodness.

Smoked Tequila Gazpacho

A Mexican-inspired chilled gazpacho loaded with fresh Roma tomatoes, zucchini, roasted garlic and spicy vegetable juice, topped with crispy tortilla strips and crumbled Cotija cheese.

Ratatouille Bread

Ratatouille bread bakes the classic Provencal vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, garlic) into a savory bread machine loaf. A Mediterranean-flavored sandwich bread.

Seven Vegetable Couscous

Hearty North African vegetable couscous with chickpeas, cabbage, turnip, squash, and tomatoes spiced with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and fresh ginger. A filling vegan one-pot meal over fluffy couscous.

Spicy Vegetable Couscous

Sautéed squash, zucchini, red onion, and chickpeas tossed with couscous and seasoned with cumin, curry powder, and red pepper flakes. A 25-minute vegetarian skillet meal.

Linguine Primaver Della Santa Maria

Linguine primavera with zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper in a chunky tomato-wine sauce topped with fresh basil and sliced olives.

Grilled Vegetable Soup (Emeril)

Grilled vegetable soup with charred zucchini, yellow squash, shiitake mushrooms, red pepper, and red onion. Emeril-inspired, with deep smoky flavor from the grill.

Light Summer Vegetable Soup

Light summer vegetable soup with green beans, yellow squash, and spinach. Garden-fresh vegetables in a Worcestershire-seasoned broth ready in 50 minutes.

Summers End Stew

Hearty beef and vegetable stew loaded with tomatoes, potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, and summer squash. Simmered low and slow in a Dutch oven, this feeds a crowd of 10.

Grilled Two Cheeses & Summer Squash Pizza

Two kinds of cheeses, fresh summer squash, and basil pesto are topped on the pizza and grilled on your BBQ; quick, easy and delicious pizza takes no time.

Sweet-N-Sour Stir-Fry

Vegetarian sweet and sour stir-fry loaded with snow peas, broccoli, enoki mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, mandarin orange) over rice.

Consomme Primavera

Crystal-clear chicken consomme reduced to a quarter of its volume, garnished with steamed julienned vegetables and enoki mushrooms. A refined French-Italian soup with intense concentrated flavor.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Grilled vegetable sandwiches loaded with broiled eggplant, zucchini, squash, and roasted red peppers on toasted French rolls with a tangy yogurt-Dijon dressing.

Gazpacho Blond

Gazpacho blond: golden version of the classic cold soup made with yellow tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, and champagne vinegar. Stunning chilled summer starter with red tomato and black olive garnish.

Ratatouille Pizza

Ratatouille pizza with eggplant, yellow squash, bell pepper, and red onion on a quick Bisquick crust. A veggie-loaded, mozzarella-topped pizza ready in 40 minutes.

Grilled Idaho Potato Ratatouille Salad

Grilled Idaho potato ratatouille salad with eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, portobello, and roasted garlic balsamic. A showstopping summer barbecue side that treats vegetables as the main event.

Lima Beans with Grilled Stuffed Vine Leaves

Lima beans with grilled stuffed grape leaves: vegetarian dolmas packed with spinach, zucchini, and summer squash, skewered and grilled, served over simmered lima beans with tomato and jalapeno.

Grilled Vegetable Kabos

Grilled vegetable kabobs with yellow squash, boiling onions, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms basted in Italian dressing with basil and parsley. Low-calorie and served over brown rice.

Lamb Kabobs with Vegetables

Grilled lamb kabobs marinated overnight in lemon, oregano, and garlic with skewered bell peppers, eggplant, summer squash, and cherry tomatoes.

Polenta Pie

Polenta pie sets a rosemary corn polenta crust in a springform pan, then layers grilled squash, eggplant, and roasted peppers inside. A vegetarian Italian showpiece, served chilled.

Late-Summer Soup

Late-summer soup: a garden-cleanout vegetable soup with yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, and fennel seed. Vegan, naturally gluten-free, and built for the August harvest.

Pasta Ooooh Baby I.E.S.Jjgf65A

Summer vegetable pasta with seared zucchini, yellow squash, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and basil tossed with ziti and Parmesan. Bright, garden-fresh, and quick.

Prevention's Perfect Kabobs

Prevention's perfect kabobs: chicken and scallops marinated in yogurt-mint, skewered with vegetables and dried fruit. A balanced, colorful, Mediterranean-leaning grill plate.

Grilled Summer Vegetable Soup

Grilled summer vegetable soup pureed from charred tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, and red onion. Vegan, gluten-free, served hot or cold.

Grilled Vegetable & Mushroom Soup

Grilled vegetable and mushroom soup builds smoky depth by charring zucchini, summer squash, red onion, peppers, and shiitake on the grill before dicing them into a savory broth. Smoke and char in every spoonful.

Stuffed Summer Squash

Stuffed summer squash halves filled with scooped squash flesh mixed with diced cheese and cream, topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked until golden. Simple, seasonal comfort food.

All 169 recipes