A vegan summer squash skillet is the perfect way to cook up your summer harvest. This easy, protein-packed one-pot vegan meal is light yet hearty and is the perfect meal prep dish.

A summer squash skillet is the perfect way to combine the beautiful flavours of a summer garden.

We use two types of summer squash in this recipe along with eggplant, sweet potatoes and tofu to round out the meal.

The best part about this squash stew is that it can be served either warm or cold making it the perfect meal to go.

Preparing a Vegan Summer Squash Skillet

Ingredients

Protein

Tofu: Tofu is a great soy-based meat alternative. It’s made from condensed soy milk, which is derived from soybeans. It’s then pressed into blocks into various levels of firmness from soft to extra firm

Produce

Sweet potato:

Sweet potatoes are a starchy and sweet root vegetable. The flesh of this vegetable is orange in colour, once peeled. They are a good source of fiber, potassium, and Vitamins A and C.

Onions: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.

Zucchini: Also known as courgette, this summer squash adds the perfect sweetness to this recipe. Zucchini and tomato sauce are the perfect pairing in my opinion. We use both green and yellow zucchini in this recipe for the perfect balance of colours.

Chinese eggplant: Any type of eggplant will work though some varieties are sweeter than others. I found this Chinese eggplant in my local grocery store which is the perfect size and texture for this dish. Note that the Chinese eggplant is slightly sweeter than Italian eggplant.

Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more. This is important to know because recipes will often call for a specific number of cloves which can vary in size greatly.

Pantry

Passata: Passata is strained tomatoes which has the consistency of tomato sauce. Once cooked down it thickens slightly but not too much as it doesn’t have too much excess liquid.

Dried Thyme: This herb has an amazing flavour that goes so well with most meats and veggies. It is part of the mint family and is a small bush, with branches that are covered in small leaves.

Dried Rosemary: Made from fresh rosemary, this herb is potent with aroma and flavour. It is an evergreen plant with long leaves on a stiff stem. The leaves are picked and dried to make dried rosemary.

Herbs de Provence: Traditionally the herb mixture from Provence region of France includes a combination of thyme, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon and oregano.

Dried Oregano: Oregano is a plant from the mint family. It’s used as s herb and has a very potent flavour. Dried oregano is the leaves of a fresh plant that has been air-dried.

Olive oil: We use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.

How to Make Vegan Summer Squash Skillet with Tofu and Sweet Potatoes

There is some chopping required for this dish. Luckily, we are using summer squash which is soft and easy to cut so the chopping feels like no effort. Get all of your ingredients ready and let’s get chopping.

Step 1: Prep the tofu

Start by cutting the tofu into bite-size pieces, around 1/8 to ¼ inch cubes.

TIP: Use extra firm tofu for this recipe as it will keep its shape best in the stew.

Place the tofu on a towel and dab it with another towel on top. The goal is to remove any excess liquid from the tofu.

Now place the tofu in a medium bowl and sprinkle it with ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder and ¼ tsp salt and top with ½ tbsp oil. Stir well using two silicone spatulas until the tofu is evenly coated in the spices. Set it aside to prep the veggies.

Step 2: Chop the produce

Now it’s time to do some more chopping. Start by peeling the sweet potato, then cut it into ¼ inch chunks.

TIP: The easiest way to cut sweet potato is to slice the potato into ¼-inch thick slices. Then cut those slices into 4.

Place the potatoes in a small bowl and set them aside.

Now, wash and dice the squash and eggplant by slicing each one into ½ inch pieces and then cutting each slice into 4.

Lastly, peel and dice the onion and peel the garlic. If you don’t have a garlic press, finely dice the garlic as well.

Step 3: Make the squash skillet

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large pan and heat it up on medium-high heat.

Once it’s hot, add the tofu to the pan and spread it out into one layer. Fry the tofu cubes for 3-4 minutes until crisp then flip and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan back into the same bowl you used for seasoning.

Next, lower the heat to medium and add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with ¼ tsp salt and toss. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Move the sweet potato to the same bowl as the tofu, we’ll add them back later at the same time.

Now add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Continuing on medium heat while you add the onions, summer squash and Chinese eggplant. Sauté for 3 minutes on each side.

Next, add the remaining salt, thyme and rosemary and toss once again. Move the veggies off to the side of the pan and press in the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant then toss once again to mix the garlic with the veggies.

Finally, add the passata, herbs de Provence, oregano and pepper. Add the tofu and sweet potato back to the pan and stir everything gently. Lower the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes stirring once or twice.

Substitutions

Tofu: Extra firm tofu is the perfect texture for this dish but if you have no desire to keep this dish vegan then chicken will be a great substitute. Boneless skinless chicken thighs will be the best choice here. Simply cut the thighs into small cubes and continue with the rest as instructed above.

Chinese Eggplant: I like to use Chinese eggplant for two reasons. One is its shape and size. It compares perfectly with the summer squash we are using. The second reason is texture. It has a soft and almost fluffy texture and doesn’t get chewy when cooked. With that said Italian eggplant will also be great, you may just need to cut it into slightly larger pieces.

Sweet Potatoes: We added sweet potatoes as a hearty starch. The texture of the sweet potato becomes very soft mirroring the rest of the ingredients. Of course you can use yellow potatoes instead but note that you should either cut them into smaller pieces or cook them for longer as they have a longer cooking time than sweet potatoes.

Serving Vegan Summer Squash Skillet

Everything you need is right in the skillet so serving this delicious summer squash stew is super simple. Simply scoop into a bowl and eat!! If you’re longing for more carbs a fresh piece of baguette will do the trick.

Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.

Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:

Vegan Summer Squash Skillet with Tofu and Sweet Potatoes