Summer Squash Succotash

This summer squash succotash is a great recipe for using all of the wonderful produce that your garden produces in the summer. 

While I don't have room for a garden, I am just lucky enough to have a cousin who is a horticultural genius, and grows an amazing variety of fresh produce in her almost cantilevered hillside garden. 

She brings me an amazing bounty of onions, squash, peaches, nectarines, beans, artichokes, tomatoes, figs. and other amazing produce. 

My yard is super small, pretty much a paved patio, and any patch of dirt is taken over by citrus trees planted by the previous owner, for which I am grateful. I have no idea how the citrus trees survive... but they do! I'm happy that I can give my sweet cousin big bags of tangelos in return for her generous gifts.

Ingredients in this Dish: 

For the Squash: I used patty pan and cupcake squash in this summer squash succotash, but you can use any summer squash you have available, such as zucchini or crookneck.  

Cupcake squash is sort of a cross between zucchini and patty pan, and is super sweet and flavorful. If you can find it, definitely use it in this dish. I've never seen it in the grocery store, but you might be able to find it at a farmer's market.

Tomatoes: For the tomatoes, I used a combination of yellow and red, but either one will work. 

Herbs: The dish is topped with fresh chives, which I just happen to have growing in a forlorn pot attached to our cinderblock wall. Fortunately, chives are pretty indestructible! We also had a pot of thyme. Yes!!

Lemon Juice: The lemon juice I used was also from the ancient lemon tree in our yard. 

Corn: You can use either fresh or frozen. If it's summer, there's no reason not to use fresh kernels!

Bell Peppers: The color and flavor are fabulous in this veggie dish. 

Lima Beans: You can't have succotash without lima beans. I used frozen lima beans. 

This classic Southern veggie dish is updated with the wonderful flavors of summer squash and fresh tomatoes, and, it is soooo ridiculously delicious! It's a perfect side dish, and also a perfect light lunch. You can also mix leftovers into an omelette or strata for breakfast or brunch.

To Make this Succotash:

First, melt the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the squash and red bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.

Next, add the corn kernels, lima beans, salt, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.

Finally, stir in the cherry tomatoes, add the lemon juice, stir, and sprinkle with the fresh chives. Serve immediately.

Consider this a summer version of the Native American Three Sisters agricultural combination.. squash, corn, and beans. It's considered a completely nutritious veggie dish with this combination. 

I just made this recipe and it is now one of my favorite vegetable dishes. I sometimes think about summer squash as something you have to find ways to use up, but not in this case. This is more of an "I can't wait until summer gets here, so I can make this dish" recipe. And if you can find cupcake squash, even better!

Sunday Funday! 

This week, the Sunday Funday group is sharing recipes with lima beans. They are often considered kind of a pedestrian vegetable, one that we all choked down as kids. In fact, it's pretty hard to find them these days. Our goal is to bring a little bit of respect back to the lima bean. 

Check out everyone's recipes!

• Butter Beans Curry, Maharashtrian Sprouted Usal, Instant Pot Recipe by Cook with Renu 
• Creamy Thyme Butter Beans by Food Lust People Love
• Greek Yogurt Soup With Zucchini, Lima Beans &; Red Lentils by Sneha's Recipe 
• Ham & Baby Lima Bean Soup by Amy's Cooking Adventures 
• Pizza Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Southern Style Green Lima Beans by Making Miracles 
• Summer Squash Succotash by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Vaal Nu Shaak by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Why All the Hate? Recipes to Convert Lima Bean Despisers by Culinary Cam (our host)

Summer Squash Succotash

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 25 Min

This summer squash succotash is a great recipe for using all of the wonderful produce that your garden is producing right now.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces summer squash, such as patty pan, cupcake, zucchini, or crook neck, cut into 1 inch pieces, skin on. I used half patty pan and cupcake.
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes. I used half red and yellow.
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the squash and red bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the corn kernels, lima beans, salt, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, add the lemon juice, stir, and sprinkle with the fresh chives. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

218.09

Fat (grams)

9.73

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.02

Carbs (grams)

31.25

Fiber (grams)

4.43

Net carbs

26.82

Sugar (grams)

15.29

Protein (grams)

5.06

Sodium (milligrams)

410.38

Cholesterol (grams)

15.67

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2016/08/summer-squash-succotash.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

zucchini, summer squash

Side dishes

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @karenskitchenstories.com on instagram and hashtag it #karenskitchenstories

Recipe adapted From Fine Cooking Magazine, August/September 2016 issue.