Young, tender, yellow summer squash, prepared simple and basic. Sweet Vidalia onion and bell pepper is first sauteed in bacon drippings and butter, the squash is added, and slowly smothered down.
Smothered Summer Squash and Onions
Yellow squash is plentiful in our Southern summers and this is pretty much my top favorite way to enjoy it. It's the same basic way many of our other favorite squash recipes begin anyway, from creamed squash to squash dressing and casseroles, though it sure stands pretty well all on its own too.
I start mine off with a little bit of bacon drippings and butter, always some sweet Vidalia onion and sometimes a little sweet bell pepper, then let it all simmer covered, over low heat, until tender. I finish it with just a little more butter, some simple seasonings and when I have them, some fresh garden herbs are nice too.
The key is not to let the squash boil, but to allow it to low simmer, so that it still retains its shape and color and the flavor of the squash shines through. If you prefer it more stewed down, cook it longer, mashing some of the squash as you occasionally stir it.
If you don't save bacon drippings, you should! There are many ways to use the drippings to add a load of natural flavor when you're cooking. If you have to cook off some bacon to get some drippings though, chop it up and leave it in the skillet along with the drippings to smother down with the squash, or remove the cooked bacon and add it at the end to the finished dish. Either way, you just can't go wrong adding in some bacon, though you can certainly just increase the butter too.
While you can't beat the added boost of flavor provided by butter and bacon drippings, you may certainly lighten this classic dish up by using olive oil for sauteing and substitute chicken broth for cooking instead. I hope that you'll try it my way at least once though. Here's how to make it.
See more of my favorite squash recipes on Pinterest!
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