Quick & Easy Julienned Zucchini and Yellow Squash with Thyme
If you’ve been reading here for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve come across at least one comment I’ve made about squash in general. It’s something I didn’t learn to like until I was in my early twenties with two babies at home and a small garden that produced zucchini the size of battleships. I became quite adept at figuring out what to do with those behemoths, and more importantly, our resources were meager, so being creative with squash became a fascination in general.
It seems like that was a few lifetimes ago, and since then, although I continue to learn about and experiment with different kinds of squash, I am always amazed to find how good it really is even with very little preparation.
When the friend I was visiting recently on my trip east graciously allowed me to prepare dinner my last night with her, she volunteered to make a veggie side dish which happened to be squash. She used a julienne peeler tool I’ve had in my kitchen for several years and have been less than successful with to slice some zucchini she’d purchased from a roadside stand that day.
I’ve only recently tried spaghetti squash and love it, but this was so much more easy — no baking required! And yes, it really did remind me of pasta if I need to say that.
Have you tried squash prepared this way before?
- 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 T. shallot, minced
- 1 zucchini, julienned
- 1 crookneck squash, julienned
- ¼ red bell pepper, julienned
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- squirt of fresh lemon
- salt & pepper to taste
- Heat olive oil, garlic and shallot in a skillet over medium heat stirring lightly about 1 minute.
- Add the squash and red pepper, stirring to combine the ingredients.
- Allow to cook just until heated through without browning.
- Pull the thyme leaves from their stems over the vegetable mixture and stir in.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste and finish with a squirt of fresh lemon juice.
Recipe Notes
- As ridiculous as it seems, I had to try my julienne peeler again as soon as I got home — or more accurately, figure out why I had given up so easily on the tool — especially when putting the grater wheel in my food processor is so much more trouble. I love my Microplane grater, but just can’t get the same thin effect with it. Chalk it up to a lack of patience as well as not quite trying it with the right type of food, perhaps.
- I was feeling a bit cocky after the squash was julienned because it worked so well, I decided to julienne red pepper for additional color and flavor boost. It worked on the squash, but on the pepper? Not so much — and the tool is pretty darn sharp, too. I’ll have to work on my technique, right?
- About the squash: I think I need to try this with a chunky marinara sauce just to see if it will taste as fabulous as I think it will. Or maybe treat it like I would pasta for macaroni & cheese. So many ideas to try now just because I figured out how to use this little tool. Go ahead an laugh — I’ll laugh with you. But stay tuned!
- And in case you don’t have a julienne peeler, here’s the one I have. Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler with Blade Protector
Except mine doesn’t have the protector which would come in very handy.
- Do you have any kitchen tools hiding in your utensil draw you haven’t quite figured out or used as much as you thought you might when you purchased it? Do tell!
More Recipes with Julienned Vegetables from Around the Web
Recipe for Julienned Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Quick Sausage, Tomato, and Basil Sauce — Kalyn’s Kitchen
Sesame Rice Noodles with Julienned Vegetables and Eggs — From Scratch Fast
Fish en Papillote with Julienned Vegetables — Making it With Danielle
