Summer Squash Bacon Sauté is a simple veggie side dish with green and yellow zucchini, crisp bacon, carrot, onions, garlic and cheese, and takes only minutes to make!
We have a small raised bed garden in our backyard. I love to grow green and yellow zucchini (since they multiply like crazy). It’s always fun to pick beautiful summer squash and then use them to create something fresh and delicious in our kitchen!
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Do You Enjoy Recipes Using Zucchini?
I’ve posted several recipes on this blog using our fresh garden zucchini, including Summer Vegetable Tian, Zucchini Relish, Chili Mac with Summer Squash, Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries, Cucumber and Zucchini Carpaccio Salad, and Curried Zucchini Soup.
All are wonderful ways to use up any over abundance of zucchini you grow, are given by a neighbor with a garden, or what you buy at the store!
I decided to play around with a couple of the zucchini (yellow and green) and some bacon in the kitchen (cooking NOT juggling!), and a few other ingredients, and came up with this simple, delicious veggie side dish! I served it with pan-seared Creole salmon and rice, and it was delicious!
How To Make The Summer Squash Bacon Sauté
To make this Summer Squash Bacon Sauté, I began by cutting two strips of thick bacon into strips (using kitchen scissors), and placed the pieces in a skillet with some thin slices of red onion. You will not need to spray the skillet, because the bacon will provide it’s own “oil” as it cooks.
Sauté on medium heat until bacon is crisp and the fat (bacon grease) is rendered into skillet.
Add The Veggies
Add green and yellow zucchini (cut into bite sized chunks), and carrot to skillet. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper (to your taste). Stir and cook in the bacon “drippings” for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, until zucchini is slightly browned, and is tender-crisp (NOT soggy!).
Add minced garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, stirring often. The reason to put the garlic in at the last minute is so that it does not burn (which makes the garlic taste bitter- no one wants THAT!).
Sprinkle grated sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the veggies. Do NOT stir. Turn off heat. Place a skillet lid over top of skillet for about a minute (this will melt the cheese).
Time To Eat The Summer Squash Bacon Sauté
Remove skillet lid, and you will see the cheese has melted. Use a spatula and transfer veggies to individual serving plates. Serve hot… and enjoy this delicious vegetable dish!
I love to try new veggie dishes… I mean, doesn’t EVERYONE get tired of boring, plain vegetables at one time or another? This one tasted GREAT (a bit of bacon makes EVERYTHING better, right?). I hope you will consider trying this summer squash bacon sauté- the quantity can be easily doubled or tripled!
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
- 2 slices bacon
- 1/4 cup red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1½ green zucchinis (medium sized)
- 1/2 yellow zucchini (or crookneck squash) (medium sized)
- 1 carrot (medium sized)
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 pinch salt/pepper (to taste)
- 3 Tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
Cut bacon into thin slices (with knife or kitchen scissors). Thinly slice red onion. Cut zucchini in bite sized chunks. Peel carrot and cut into chunks. Set aside.
Place bacon pieces in skillet with thin slices of red onion. You don't need to spray skillet, because the bacon will provide it's own "oil" as it cooks. Sauté on medium heat until bacon is crisp and fat (bacon grease) is rendered into skillet.
Add green and yellow zucchini (cut into bite sized chunks), and carrot to skillet. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper (to taste). Stir and cook in the bacon "drippings" for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is slightly browned, and tender-crisp (NOT soggy!). Add minced garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, stirring often. The reason to put the garlic in at the last minute is so that it does not burn (which makes the garlic taste bitter- no one wants THAT!).
Sprinkle grated sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the veggies. Do NOT stir. Turn off heat. Place a skillet lid over top of skillet for about a minute (this will melt the cheese). Remove skillet lid, and you will see the cheese has melted. Use a spatula and transfer veggies to individual serving plates. Serve hot... and enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!