SAUTéED SUMMER SQUASH WITH RED PEPPER AND ONION

Sautéed Summer Squash with Red Pepper and Onion image

This is the time of year when, no matter what part of the country you live in, tables at farmers' markets are piled high with summer squash, mounds of it: yellow, light green and dark, round and long. This is a vegetable that expresses itself well in a wide range of dishes; just about every cuisine in the world knows how to show it off. It's an excellent low-calorie food, with only 19 calories per cup of raw squash. This dish is great on its own as a side dish, but it can also be incorporated into many other recipes.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Time 20m

Yield Serves 6 to 8

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds summer squash, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 small red pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Steps:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and add the garlic, summer squash, red pepper, and about 3/4 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the squash is translucent and the red pepper tender, about 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat. Serve as a side dish, or use as a filling for a vegetable tart, gratin, or frittata.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 51, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 248 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams