The bounty from our garden today was squash!  My neighbour gave me a tiny wee seedling back in the spring and as anyone who has grown squash before knows, we now have LOTS of squash!  I’ve never cooked or tasted crookneck squash before and I was delighted to discover after doing a google search that you can eat the whole thing…skin and seeds included!  It’s very much like zucchini and I’m going to try baking with it too.

For dinner tonight I roasted some in the oven tossed in olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, parmesan, and a splash of lemon juice.  This was yummy on it’s own and we devoured half the pan.

Then I tried a new minestrone soup recipe and tossed the remaining half of the squash into the pot. Looking forward to discovering more ways to eat this tasty veggie.  What are some of your favourite recipes?

Minestrone Soup

3 TBSP olive oil

1 leek, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups roasted squash (prepare in advance)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
8 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
2-3 tsp Herbamare or to taste
freshly ground pepper
1/2 package elbow noodles (for GF use brown rice noodles)
Saute onions in oil in a large stockpot over medium heat until softened.  Add Italian seasoning, paprika, carrots and garlic; saute 1 min more.  Add stock and tomatoes, cover and simmer for 15min.  While soup is cooking, cook the pasta al dente according to directions on the package.   Once soup is ready add beans, squash, parsley, Herbamare, pepper, and cooked noodles.  Serve with grated parmesan sprinkled on top.