Fast Summer Squash Sauté

Week 484. Summer 2025. I am 42 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 14 and navigating middle school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 12 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made barbecue ribs this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The ribs took most of the afternoon, the way ribs always do, and by the time they were done I needed something green and fast and bright to put alongside them — something that felt like the garden and the season and the particular richness of a Saturday that started with a run and ended under string lights. This squash sauté has become exactly that for us: ten minutes, a hot pan, whatever herbs are growing outside the back door, and suddenly the table feels complete.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, thyme, or flat-leaf parsley), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Prep the squash. Slice zucchini and yellow squash into even 1/4-inch rounds. Pat dry with paper towels — removing excess moisture helps them sauté rather than steam.
Heat the pan. Place a large skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter is melted and the pan is shimmering, about 1–2 minutes.
Add garlic. Add the minced garlic to the pan and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Do not let it brown.
Sauté the squash. Add the squash in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir and cook another 2–3 minutes until tender and lightly golden at the edges.
Season. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Toss to coat.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Add the fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Toss once more and transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately alongside grilled meats or as a light stand-alone side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Fast Summer Squash Sauté — The Side Dish That Belongs at Every Grill Table