For two days last week, a huge, beautiful summer squash graced my kitchen counter.

It took me a bit of time to mull over what I wanted to do with it.

I hunted the Internet for ideas, finding lots of savory applications, as well as a few sweet ones I could use it in, but I finally landed on a recipe that I decided I must try.

First, it looked insanely quick to make, and since we’ve been meeting ourselves coming and going lately, that was very appealing.

Second, I only had to fire up my stovetop, and with the temperatures being in the triple digits lately, I was extremely happy to leave my oven alone.

The recipe I landed on comes from the blog “Food Meld” by Jackson Walker. You can find the original post at https://foodmeld.com/garlic-parmesan-summer-squash-pasta/. I added extra garlic in my version.

Garlic Parmesan Summer Squash Pasta

Ingredients

8 ounces long pasta (I used fettuccine)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced thinly

6 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup fresh basil, torn into pieces

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Boil the pasta according to the box directions, and be sure to reserve at least one cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

When the oil is hot, add the squash, and saute for several minutes until it is soft and just starting to brown. Add in the garlic, salt and pepper, and saute until the garlic starts to become fragrant.

Add the drained pasta, parmesan, basil and about one-quarter cup of the reserved pasta water, and stir to combine and melt the cheese. If you want your sauce looser and creamier, add a little more pasta water, stirring between each addition, until you have the consistency you like.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

This was a very simple, lightly seasoned dish that I really liked. I wasn’t sure about the lemon juice, but it just acted as a flavor enhancer. You couldn’t detect it on its own.

The combination of the parmesan and garlic, along with the squash made for a really nice, light meal, despite being a pasta dish.

If you wanted to make it a heartier meal, adding some grilled chicken breast would be good, too.

And now that I have my big list of squash recipes, I’m probably going to need to grab another one…or two…before the summer is over. The good news is that with summer gardens in full bloom, I’m guessing it won’t be too hard to find.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.