Prep Time:
Homemade Sauce: 30 minutes
Bacon Mozzarella Squash Bites: 15 minutes
Cook Time:
Homemade Sauce: 10-15 minutes (Stovetop)
Bacon Mozzarella Squash Bites: 12-15 minutes (Air Fryer) 25-30 minutes (Oven) 8-12 minutes (Traditional or deep fry)
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As a Native American, I do love squash (one of our many native foods). I especially love zucchini and summer squash (yellow squash). Being that it is light in flavor, summer squash easily absorbs and adapts to different seasonings and marinades. Summer squash is also hydrating and nutritious.
Although there are carbs in squash, summer squash only holds around two percent daily value of carbs in a medium sized squash. I have been learning these numbers due to diabetes running high throughout my family history. Summer squash also provides calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin c, protein, dietary fiber, and potassium. Alongside these valuable nutrients, summer squash also contains a wealthy amount of water.
This recipe is another where I’ll be using the carved-out squash bits (aka the guts) to make a sauce. This sauce is honestly my best creation yet, when it comes to sauces! When you taste it, you will be hit with notes of sweet, creamy, slightly bright hickory and a peppery kick. The sauce is the glue that holds this recipe together, as its where most of the flavor will come from.
What makes this sauce one of my best is the fact that it can be repurposed and used in multiple ways. It would make a fantastic chicken marinade. You can also pour this sauce over pasta, or pasta with chicken. Summer sauce also goes great on a chicken sandwich, drizzled over an omelet, drizzled into a breakfast burrito, or used as a salad dressing. The possibilities keep building with this sauce.
When it comes to the bacon mozzarella summer squash bites, you can modify them to your desired taste. Being that I love tasting the sauce, melted into the bacon and mozzarella flavors, I tend to keep them simple. Oregano and/or Italian seasoning are a great addition, even though I leave them out. I find that the bacon cooking around the squash and cheese provides plenty of flavor and sodium, combined with the summer sauce.
Bacon Mozzarella Summer Squash Bites
Ingredients
- Fresh, uncooked, bacon (any kind; I like thick cut)
Consider using a full 16 oz package. I used a 12 oz package and needed to use ham slices on the last few. - Summer squash aka yellow squash (I used 4)
- Mozzarella cheese (Mozzarella string cheese sticks are the perfect shape)
Instructions
Cut each squash lengthwise into equal halves.
Carve the insides out until you see no more seed and pulp, then cut squash into smaller halfmoon shaped pieces (pictured above for reference).
Save these carvings, aka the guts, for our delicious sauce! I set them into the food processor, because that’s where they’re headed next.
Place each piece of squash into the air fryer and precook for 5 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F & precook for 8-10 minutes.
Deep-fry precooking is not recommended, but still possible.
Remove and allow to cool while you prep the mozzarella filling.
Now, cut your mozzarella cheese to fit into the center of the squash (pictured below).
Next, wrap a slice of bacon around each mozzarella-filled squash piece, ensuring that all sides are covered. It doesn’t have to be perfect and there will still be some holes.
If you wish to add some oregano and/or Italian seasoning, add it to the top of the mozzarella before you add the bacon wrap.
Place them into the air fryer basket (air-fried), on your baking sheet (oven baked), or into the deep fry, after wrapping.
If you are deep frying them, deep fry for 8-12 minutes. You may need a bit longer for thicker cuts.
After placing them all into the air fryer, set the temperature to 375 degrees F and cook for 12-15 minutes. The timing truly depends on your air fryer, as different brands and sizes may cook differently. I start checking them periodically at the 10-minute mark.
FOR OVEN BAKED – Keep the oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on your particular oven.
That’s it; that’s all there is to it! Allow them to cool on an elevated rack, parchment paper or food-safe paper towels.
Sweet and Spicy Summer Sauce
Ingredients
- Carved out quash core (the guts)
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 3-4 TBSP ricotta cheese
- 1 heaping TBSP light brown sugar
- 1 TBSP granulated/powdered garlic
- 2 TSP ground mustard
- 2 TSP paprika
- 1 TSP black pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped cucumber
- OPTIONAL – cornstarch or flour for thickening (more about this in the instructions)
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
Set your squash guts into your blender or food processor and pulse until pureed.
Pour the puree into a medium-large mixing bowl.
Add the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, brown sugar, dry seasonings, and chopped veggies into the bowl with your pureed squash.
Whisk together until everything is evenly blended.
Next, transfer your mixture to a medium pot or saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
Allow to boil for 1-2 minutes while stirring, before turning the heat down to simmer. Allow to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes, while stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat.
If you desire a thicker sauce, add cornstarch. I recommend adding 2 TBSP cornstarch to 1-2 TBSP water, and whisking until there are no clumps. Add this mixture to your sauce. You can also make a roux or vigorously stir in dry flour.
That’s it; your sauce is ready.
Kick it up a notch: Add some white pepper to give it a kick and turn it into a hot sauce!
About This Recipe
I originally purchased summer squash to go with my zucchini. Along with zucchini salmon boats, I was going to make summer squash salmon boats. With the day being a long one, and a few events popping up, I decided to leave the summer squash for a future recipe and save some time. A couple days later, I was organizing my freezer when I found a 12 oz bacon package and immediately thought of my summer squash in the refrigerator.
My original idea was to wrap the squash in bacon and create a sauce to drizzle over it. The mozzarella filling was inspired by my desire for a cheesy taste to complement the bacon. The taste of the summer sauce was decided upon which seasonings and flavors blend and pair best with bacon. I LOVE a hint of sweetness, especially from brown sugar. This summer sauce honestly exceeded my expectation and will be a repeat for many meals.
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