This key to this soup is time, slowly cooking a medley of zucchini, onion, squash, green beans, a variation of peppers (some mild, one hot) in a large can of San Marzano tomatoes. Of course the other key ingredients are olive oil, and basil.

This is more of an idea of recipe than an exact recipe. I was out to use up all the summer vegetables purchased at the Farmer’s Market.

Ingredients

• 6-8 zucchini, yellow squash
• 1 large can san marzano tomatoes
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 banana peppers
• 1 red chili pepper
• 3 cups green beans (optional)
• 1 large onion
• olive oil
• salt, pepper
• basil
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
• 4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

This Italian Summer Vegetable soup is perfect comfort food in hot weather. This is even more delicious with a generous helping of freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread as this soup is great for dipping.

Variations for Italian Vegetable Soup

You can make this a more complete meal for the family by adding the following.

• Add 2 cans white beans.
• Add 2 cups small macaroni.

More Vegetable Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Italian Summer Vegetable Soup

Zucchini, Squash, Peppers, Onions, Green Beans and Tomato, a perfect medley for summer vegetable soup.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword vegetable soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Ingredients

• 6 zucchini and yellow squash cut crosswise
• 1 large onion large dice
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 red chili pepper or banana peppers
• 3 cups green beans trimmed and cut in half
• 1 large can San Marzano Tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• basil
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
• 1 quart boxed broth (chicken or vegetable)

Instructions

Preparation

• Cut ends off zucchini and yellow squash. Use a variety. Keep in mind yellow squash tends to stay more in tact than zucchini, so do use some. Cut across about 1/2 inch thick.
• Trim ends of green beans and cut in half.
• Peel and dice onion.
• Seed peppers and cut into large dice. I like using green bell pepper for this soup, but you can include red bell pepper. Use one pepper than has some heat like banana pepper or red chili pepper.
• Tomatoes: Use your hands to squeeze the tomatoes into a bowl and have them ready to add to soup.

Soup

• Heat oil in large pot. Add onions, peppers and soften for a minute or two. Add in remaining vegetables except green beans. Add Tomatoes and broth, salt, pepper and seasoning. Cook on low for one hour. Then add in green beans and cook for one more hour. Serve with more basil and grated cheese.
• Slow Cooker: You can put everything into a slow cooker on low for 4 to 6 hours, if need be. You can add more broth or water if it's too thick.

The post Italian Summer Vegetable Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Frittatas are a very common dish in America right now, but not so much when I was growing up, except at our house. Frittata was a staple, but not served at breakfast. It was always a side dish at a dinner, cut into wedges, and as leftovers served in crusty bread for lunch the next day. The other unusual thing about our family’s frittata is that it was always made on top of the stove.

I remember my first time making a frittata stovetop, being proud that I was able to turn it over onto a plate and slide it back in to finish it. If you don’t feel like turning on the oven, you can give it a try. Or you can stick it in the oven.

Stove Top Frittata

This frittata was made on top of the stove. Just make sure to use pot mitts. Turn over onto plate and slide back in. Once you make a few of these stove top, you’ll have it down to a science.

Variations for Frittata

Frittatas are the best way to use any kind of leftovers. You can make this same frittata with zucchini instead of yellow squash, and add in other veggies such as peppers or potatoes. Make sure whatever you decide to add in is cooked first.

More Frittatas from Spinach Tiger

• Frittata with Brussels and Purple Potato
• Everything you need to know about frittatas
• Frittata with Potatoes, Manchego, Arugula
• Sheet Pan Frittata with Sweet Potatoes
• Spaghetti Broccoli Frittata
• Sausage Ricotta Frittata
• Sweet Potato Frittata

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Yellow Squash Bacon Fritatta

Stove top or oven baked yellow squash, pecorino and bacon make a great savory frittata.

Course Egg Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bacon, frittata, yellow squash

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Stove Top Frittata

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 cups yellow squash sliced thinly
• 9 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoon pecorino romano or parmesan
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

Stove Top Frittata

• Cut bacon into lardons, crosswise and fry until crispy.
• Remove bacon pieces to paper towels. Keep bacon grease.
• Slice squash crosswise and fry in bacon grease. Remove to bowl.
• In non-stick 9-10 inch frying pan, heat olive oil in medium heat.
• Beat eggs well. Add salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of pecorino cheese.
• Add bacon and squash to pan. Pour in beaten eggs.
• Using a spatula, go around the sides, lifting the frittata and allow eggs to run under. Once there is no longer any liquid to run, get your plate and pot mitts and turn over, slide back in. Cook for 5 to 7 more minutes or until no liquid comes out of the frittata. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice in wedges to serve.
• Refrigerate left overs. You can reheat in microwave, stove top, or oven.

Bake In Oven

• You can take your frittata straight to oven at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes or until you no longer see liquid egg. Make sure to grease your frying pan well, so it doesn't stick.

The post Yellow Squash Bacon Frittata Stovetop or Baked appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

These squash blossoms are accompanied by yellow zucchini that grows in my backyard garden. It seemed such a shame not to eat the flowers that could dress up a dish like this. I showed you how to fry them here. I stuffed them with goat cheese here.

This is fried yellow squash with its blossoms. Fresh from the garden and so fun and tasty.

After giving the yellow squash a good salt bath and drawing out the moisture with paper towels, it was dredged in egg and flour and fried quickly. Backyard garden basil and parsley were added to the flour for flavor, and as soon as it topped on spaghetti that had olive oil and garlic, it got got a dose of pecorino romano cheese.
The squash blossom is prepared a little differently. I simply mix some water and flour together, and fry quickly.

This is such a pretty summer meal. Done in less than thirty minutes. Enjoy!

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Squash Blossoms with Spaghetti

Yellow Squash and Squash Blossoms top spaghetti for an elegant summer meal.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 4 squash blossoms fried Recipe here
• 4 yellow zucchini
• oil for frying
• 1 egg
• 1 cups flour
• handful of parsley and basil chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese grated

Instructions

• Cut yellow squash in spears or coins, salt, leave for ten minutes, and drain with paper towels
• Mix flour with salt, pepper, chopped herbs.
• Put oil in pan up to 1/2 inch. Fry until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Make spaghetti according to instructions. Drain, toss with olive oil, chopped garlic, and remaining herbs.
• Top with squash and squash blossoms.

Squash blossoms Recipe here.

The post Squash Blossoms with Yellow Squash and Spaghetti appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I have made at least one hundred picture perfect frittatas. I have been scrambling eggs since I was seven. But, today for the first time ever, my frittata was a disaster. It stuck to the pan, when I tried to turn it over.  And, the more I tried to fix it, the worse it became. Shock and panic.

If I show you, how to make a frittata and this happens to you, you will never do it again. I almost threw 8 eggs into the trash.  But, I’m too practical and I wanted those potatoes with eggs. So I thought, maybe I can still save this mess. I’ll change pans and add two more eggs. Maybe, I’ll find a bigger pan, or maybe a smaller pan. I can make it work.

Three pans later, and a stove full of eggs,  I was able to piece it back together, and, while not my typical beautiful frittata, it was good enough that I ate it for lunch and again for dinner. It was just not good enough to photograph. So I will show you another frittata I made and give you that recipe.

I tell you this because frittatas are a beautiful thing, eaten best at room temperature, and cut into wedges, to be enjoyed as an entree, a side dish, or inside  crusty bread.

My family has made frittata for generations with an unwritten rule to only serve it for lunch or dinner, but never breakfast, although in Italy one hotel in Tuscany did serve frittata for breakfast, and I remember being the guest who ate the most of it because it made me feel more at home.

Frittatas make fantastic use of your farmer’s market’s seasonal produce, which is exactly how I arrived at this recipe for yellow zucchini and yellow wax peppers. Yellow squash is sweet and goes very well with a little bit of hot pepper.

I remember calling my mom and saying, “come for lunch, I just got back from the market and I’m making a frittata.” She came right over and I think for her, too, it’s a feel good traditional family recipe. Her next question, of course, was “do you have bread? and then, “are you making a salad?”

This is the reason I love being Italian. Even the most casual on the fly lunch turns into an event.

Note: You can follow the same directions here and use the potatoes from this recipe, or any other filling you like.

Remember, if you mess it up, don’t give up. You may still be able to save it, and it’s a dish worth learning to make  the old fashioned way, on top of the stove.

Recipe for Frittata with Yellow Squash, Yellow Peppers

Ingredients

• 8 eggs beaten, with a little water added
• 2 cups yellow squash thinly sliced (or 1 large)
• 1 yellow wax pepper (be careful, it’s HOT) you might want to wear gloves
• olive oil
• sea salt, black pepper
• 10” non-stick frying pan

Instructions

1. Thinly slice squash.
Seed, peel and  finely chop peppers.  These are hot. There are yellow peppers that are not hot, but these are and you don’t want to accidently rub your eyes.
2. Saute peppers and squash together in a little olive oil. 
Beat 8 eggs with a splash of water, salt and pepper.
Make sure there is plenty of oil in the pan. Add eggs.
3. Here’s the tricky part. Just keep allowing the egg mixture to run underneath the frittata. You will keep going all around the pan, until there is not much liquid left and the eggs are set and ready to turn over.
4.  Using thick pot holders, place a plate over the pan.  If you have a plastic plate, it might be easier to turn over. This part of frittata making can be daunting, and if you don’t have the “look” you want, turn it over again. The frittata usually just has a way of coming out beautiful. As a staple dish of my kitchen, it’s worth a little practice.
5.  
Cut in wedges. but wait for at least 20 minutes. Frittata is best served at room temperature. I usually make this 1 or 2 hours ahead.

The post Frittata with Yellow Squash, Yellow Peppers appeared first on Spinach Tiger.