Make It Easy on Yourself with Simple Food Prep

As summer comes to an end, when there is an abundance of summer squash in your garden or neighborhood markets that must be enjoyed—you’ll want to try this yummy Stovetop Squash Casserole. It’s a guaranteed winner any time you want to make a quick-and-easy vegan or vegetarian side dish.

Prepping the vegetables for this casserole will be especially fast if you own a food processor. I purchased a bag of shredded organic broccoli-carrot slaw to serve as the casserole base, which made prepping even faster. I’d never thought of cooking slaw before, but it cooks rapidly and is an ideal complement to the summer squash. While the leek and slaw were simmering, I threw the yellow summer squash into the Cuisinart and pulsed a few times. Done! Total prep time for the dish was 10 minutes or less. What could be easier than that?

Of course, if you don’t have a food processor, even more reason to buy some prepared raw vegetables to add to a pot when your goals are easy, fast, and delicious. Vegetables that naturally give off water during cooking will cook most quickly on a stovetop rather than roasting or baking—and even more quickly when shredded or minced. The vegetables for this dish were tender in about 15 minutes, though I let them simmer a little longer while finishing up the rest of the meal.

Enjoy this Stovetop Squash Casserole during the work week when efficient cooking is a high priority.

Lisa J. Mitchell

STOVETOP SQUASH CASSEROLE

Preparation Time: About 25 minutes start to finish, or longer without a food processer
Serves 6 to 8

If a casserole seems like a casserole to you only when you add cheese or breadcrumbs—go for it! Nonetheless, we found this simple veggie dish completely satisfying and delicious.

1 large leek bulb plus an inch of the light-green shank
2 to 3 tablespoons avocado oil or ghee
1 12-ounce bag of shredded coleslaw
6 small to medium crookneck yellow squashes
1 teaspoon mineral salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
1 tablespoon fresh dill
¼ to ½ cup of plain vegan yogurt
Dash of black pepper (optional)

1. Wash and slice the leek. Heat a 4-quarter or larger soup pot or an extra-large frying pan with lid on medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons ghee or oil to the pot along with the sliced leek. Cook about 5 minutes while you wash the squashes.

2. Add the coleslaw to the pot, increase the heat to medium, and cover the pot. Stir occasionally to ensure the vegetables aren’t sticking or burning. Reduce the heat and add more ghee or oil, if necessary.

3. While the slaw is cooking, cut off the ends of the squashes and chop each of them into a few pieces before adding half the squashes to the food processor. Pulse 5 or 6 times until the squashes are in small pieces. Remove the first batch and repeat the process with the remaining squashes. Add all of the processed squash to the pot along with the salt. Stir well, mixing the squash into the cooked slaw. Cover the pot. Cook well on medium or medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender. It will take about 10 minutes.

4. While the vegetables are cooking, juice half a lime, and snip some dill fronds from their stems. Once all the vegetables are tender, stir in the lime juice and the coconut yogurt. Taste for seasoning; if you wish, add more salt and the dash of pepper. Garnish the dish with dill before serving.

Ayurvedic Note: Squashes are among the easiest vegetables to digest, and they are good for all doshas. Traditional coleslaw, being raw, is not so easy to digest, but when coleslaw is cooked, it is ideal for all doshas.

Add more pepper.

2 Responses

Karin Michele Anderson says:

September 10, 2024 at 2:38 pm

This looks very yummy and easy to prepare. Will definitely make this one.

Marie Iddings says:

September 12, 2024 at 12:45 pm

Oh! I needed this new recipe as I just purchased some more yellow squash and was wondering how to make a fresh recipe! Thank you, will make for dinner tomorrow!

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