Summer succotash.

In the heart of summer, I cannot get enough of corn, zucchini and tomatoes. They taste intensely of sunshine, they’re incredibly easy to prepare and they’re endlessly flexible.


An article in the July/August issue of Eating Well that featured healthy takes on classic picnic foods (think: potato salad and fried chicken) included a salad inspired by succotash, the very traditional combination of beans, corn and squash. I didn’t love the vinaigrette dressing, but the recipe prompted me to try my own combination and concoct something more akin to the traditional succotash.

I had some frozen edamame on hand, so I added that in lieu of the recipe’s suggested fresh lima beans; too, I’d picked a very small handful of garden green beans, so I added those. You could add red or green bell pepper and even a bit of fresh jalapeno if you’d like some heat.

We served it at room temp alongside the magazine’s recipe for oven-fried chicken on a stick. Delish!

summer succotash

1 medium sweet summer onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini (use 1 yellow zucchini if you’d like), in 1/2-inch dice
3 ears corn, kernels removed
1 cup frozen edamame
2 good handfuls of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper
seasoning blend of your choice (I used The Spice House’s Lakeshore Drive blend; a good Italian seasoning blend would work)

Halve the onion vertically (pole to pole), then thinly slice each half. Heat olive oil in a skillet; add onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté 5 minutes; add corn, edamame and garlic and sauté another 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through but still have a bit of crunch. Season with salt, pepper and seasoning blend. Serve warm or at room temperature (this keeps very well and makes great leftovers).

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