Roasted Vegan Summer Squash Side Dish
July is when summer squash really starts to take over my house. I do anything I can to try and use it- spiralize “noodles”, bake into tater tots, make elaborate tian provençal. There are no days off from summer squash, but sometimes I try and make a simple, delicious, vegan summer squash side dish instead of letting it take over the whole meal. These squash are cheesy, thanks to the wonder of nutritional yeast, and a little lemony, and simply roasted. Perfect to add to any quick weeknight dinner.
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The Art of Vegetable Seasonality (How I used to Hate Summer Squash)
When I was growing up, and getting to be difficult adolescence, my mother let us each choose one vegetable we didn’t want to eat. I choose asparagus, the only vegetable that I still to this day can not stomach. That is until about July, at which point I would declare that I would go without summer squash (and zucchini). This strategic move took advantage of less fresh asparagus in stores, and had me off eating summer squash just as they invaded our house. This trick worked for a year to two, but eventually my mother decided that this seasonally selective strategy of getting out of two vegetables was no longer going to fly. So I had to learn to like summer squash. Many years have passed since than, but I still celebrate a little every time I have summer squash and think “that was good!” instead of just “let me eat this quickly to get onto the other vegetables”. This roasted vegan summer squash side dish definitely has me celebrating summer squash and not trying to get through it.
If you’re looking to pull off a similar stunt, try this vegetable seasonality chart to help you out.
Making this Vegan Side
Summer squash have a mild, slightly sweet flavor. They work well with the cheese-flavor of nutritional yeast, and the whole combination is boosted with a little salt and lemon. The whole process is as simple as oiling a pan, placing sliced summer squash on it, and sprinkling with nutritional yeast, salt and lemon. Roast in the oven for around 20 minutes and out they come. Perfect to serve beside pasta, beans or whatever other summer meal you’re having.
Looking for Veg on the Side? Try one of these Veggie Side Dishes
- Seaside Vegan Beet Salad
- Perfect Vegan Oven-Roasted Potatoes
- Sesame Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Fennel and Apple Salad in Belgian Endive Cups
- Delicata Rounds with Lemon and Miso Dipping Sauce
- Sesame Roasted Snap Peas
Roasted Vegan Summer Squash Side Dish
Ingredients
- 1 large summer squash
- Olive oil, as needed
- 1 TBSP. nutritional yeast
- Juice from one lemon
- Salt, to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and use olive oil to grease a large baking sheet. Wash the summer squash well before cutting so you have round slices about a quarter of an inch thick.
- Place the summer squash on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the pieces evenly with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Place in the squash in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm
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