Fresh yellow squash noodles with a light pasta sauce made with roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Hello, summer!
I know it is summer time when fresh basil and yellow squash make their appearance at the farmers market. The problem I often run into whenever I buy fresh basil is their shelf life. Basil wilts, grows black spots, and molds so quickly that I find myself scrambling to use them before they go bad.
Over the past few months, I have experimented with this method of storing fresh basil. The key is to treat fresh basil like flowers. Take a fresh bunch of basil, trim the ends and put it in a jar filled with water. Leave the jar of basil in room temperature with a plastic bag loosely covering the entire jar. In theory, this method should keep basil fresh for 1 to 2 weeks.
When I first tried this storage method, I was disappointed to find mold growing within a few days. But in a “well, duh” moment, I realized that I should change the water as I would with flowers. After this minor tweak, the basil has been keeping fresh for a little longer, though its green vibrance will fade.
I made this fresh yellow squash noodle dish to make sure that I use the basil at its peak. I added some sautéed fennel and yellow plum tomatoes for additional flavor. I loved that this dish was bursting with flavor yet light at the same time.
Yellow Squash Noodles with Tomato Basil Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 5 medium roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes (I used the kind that is not packed in oil)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- pinch of sea salt
- 3 large yellow squash
- 2/3 cup yellow plum tomatoes, optional
Sautéed Fennel (Optional)
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS fresh dill, chopped
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the garlic and tomatoes cut side down. Let the tomatoes cook for 3 minutes before turning them over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat.
- In a food processor or blender, mix the sautéed tomatoes, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and salt until smooth.
- Cut off both ends of each of the yellow squash. Spiralize the squash with Blade C, and chop the noodles several times so that they are easier to eat. Be sure to slice the part of the squash that is not spiralized and mix them with the noodles. NOTE: If you do not own a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler to create yellow squash ribbons.
- If you are adding fennel to this dish, heat a tablespoon of oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the fennel and sauté them for about 4-5 minutes or until they turn translucent. Season with some fresh dill and salt.
- In a large bowl, mix the noodles and sauce together. Serve with the fennel and plum tomatoes.
- Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Welcome to Mommyhood says
Ooh! this looks so good! I haven’t seen any yellow squash around where I live, but perhaps I’ll plant some next year, along with all of the other types of squash that seem to not exist here in the Netherlands 🙁
Pinned!
Lisa says
Yuliya, you are so good about growing your own vegetables! I wish I could do that. I should probably start with herbs first.
Veronica says
Looks beautiful – and delicious too!
I’m addicted to fennel and fresh dill salad at the moment, I have it with a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice and some rapeseed oil. It’s a typical Swedish thing to eat when summer approaches 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Veronica! The additional lemon juice and rapeseed oil sounds splendid! I’m looking for new ways to prepare fennel, so thanks for the tip!
GiGi Eats says
Oh this is a side dish I am making FOR SURE!!! It would pair so well with salmon! Mmmmmmmm! 🙂
Lisa says
Yummm! A piece of grilled salmon sounds great with these noodles!
Sarah says
Hi! This looks delicious and I’m planning on making it tomorrow night. I just want to double check, do you not cook the yellow squash?
Lisa Lin says
No, I don’t here because I like the crunch. If you prefer softer noodles, you can blanch the noodles in boiling water for a minute or two (no longer because the noodles will turn to mush otherwise).
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I love spiralizing! Especially for a light dish in the summer 🙂
Lisa says
I’m a bit obsessed with spiralizing right now, as you can see.
Alyssa // Runway Chef says
I haven’t been too intrigued by the vegetable noodle dishes I’ve seen before, but this one is changing my mind! It looks and sounds delish!
Lisa says
Thanks for your kind words, Alyssa! Let me know how it goes for you!
Angie (@angiesrecipess) says
Still haven’t seen those beautiful yellow squash over here…I guess I can just use the green one instead. This looks delish, Lisa.
Lisa says
Thanks, Angie! I hope that the yellow squash starts popping up soon!
Jo from yummyvege says
Beautiful! I love the combination of squash, fennel and basil. can’t wait to try this.
Lisa says
Thanks, Jo! Let me know how the dish goes!
Joanne says
I have that same issue with basil also! Even if I put it in water the second I get home, it seems like it goes bad by the next day.
I love how YELLOW this dish is! So many great summer flavors in here!
Lisa says
Someone should invent a product that will keep basil fresh for a week. Glad you love my summer inspiration for this dish!
Ray Bristow says
Wow!!! So good and simple to make. I suggest you double the sauce ingredients if you like a lot of sauce.
Lisa says
Thanks, Ray! Very true, sauce lovers probably will need to double the ingredients.
A.C. says
Does the nutritional calories include (or exclude) the sauteed fennel?
Lisa says
A.C., the nutritional values that appear at the bottom of the MyFitnessPal post were actually generated by the editors. I am pretty sure that it includes the sauteed fennel, based on the listed grams of fat. Hope this helps!