How to Freeze Yellow Squash

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Trial & Error

Yellow squash is one of my absolute favorite vegetables. I love it roasted, grilled, fried or in recipes. However, I had always been frustrated when trying to freeze it. It didn’t seem to hold its flavor well and always thawed out soggy. I experimented for years trying to find out how to avoid this.

A couple of years ago I finally figured it out! The trick is to go ahead and sauté or fry and season your squash before freezing. It takes a little extra effort than just cutting up and freezing, but I promise, it’s totally worth it!

Worth the Prep

Our family’s favorite way to eat squash is pan fried with bacon and onions. You may have another way you prefer to season yours, depending on how you plan to use it. If you have a squash casserole you enjoy, then go ahead and prepare the squash just as you would for the casserole, then freeze.

I like to use 3-4 yellow squash, 7″-9″ long. I cut them in half and then slice them. You can really chop them up any way you choose, this is just what I do. Then I chop up 4-5 slices of bacon, dice up a large sweet onion and pan fry it in about 1/3 stick of butter. Salt and pepper it according to your preference.

Now you just need to let it cool completely and put it in either quart freezer bags or freezer containers. I like to use freezer bags, because they stack well when frozen. Just be sure to squeeze the air out of the bag before sealing.

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Harvesting Tip

If you are growing your own yellow squash, I don’t recommend letting them get too large. You don’t typically want them over about 9″ long. If they get too big, they tend to be tough.

Prepping Tips

I love having squash in the freezer. It makes a really quick side and tastes fantastic! You just have to thaw and heat. It still retains its flavor, and because you’ve already cooked it you don’t have to worry about it being soggy.

If you have a large electric skillet, that will work great and you can do large batches at a time. You want to fry it until most of the water is absorbed and your onions are caramelized. Be sure to use some type of butter, oil or shortening. You’ll have a little bit of grease from the bacon, but it’s usually not enough and you don’t want your squash to stick.

You can prepare it this way to use in most casseroles and squash patties. However, in some cases you may want to season it differently before cooking, depending on the recipe. Just prepare it to your preference, cook it, cool, then freeze. You’ll be really happy with the results and the time it saves.

Ingredients

• 3-4 Yellow Squash, 7″ – 9″ long – sliced
• 4-5 slices of bacon – chopped
• 1 large sweet onion – diced
• Enough butter, oil, shortening or bacon grease to ensure your squash doesn’t stick.

Instructions

1. Melt the butter, oil, bacon grease or shortening in a large skillet.
2. Add all of the other prepared ingredients.
3. Cook on medium heat until most of the water is absorbed and the onions are caramelized.
4. Cool completely and freeze in either quart size *ziplock freezer bags or freezer safe containers.
5. *When using freezer bags, close the bag almost all the way and squeeze any remaining air from the bag before completely sealing.
6. ** It works best to flatten out the bags and freeze them lying down. After frozen, you can stack them standing up if you choose and they will take up less room in your freezer.