Squash cooking time with this cheesy dish

We’re quickly approaching the time of year when local kitchen warriors don their aprons and get ready to camp out in front of the oven for hours at a time.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and baking, many of you will find yourself spending a lot more time in the kitchen during the holiday season.

I often struggle during this time of year whether I should suggest new dishes to try for the holidays. I know our family definitely has its favorites. Trying to sneak new ones in there without making the tried and true recipes is pretty difficult to do.

But if you’re in the mood for something easy and yummy and (mostly) healthy to toss into the mix this year, or if you just need a break from cooking for a bit, I’d suggest this week’s recipe. It’s extremely simple, and you don’t have to peel the squash and zucchini that goes into it, so it goes together quickly.

This recipe comes from the website “Project Next.” You can find it at http://www.projectnext.net/easy-cheesy-zucchini-bake/. I seasoned mine just a little differently than the original author.

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Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini

2 medium yellow squash

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with baking spray.

Wash the squash and zucchini and cut into slices (try to keep the thickness consistent), and then cut into half-moons if they’re pretty large rounds. Otherwise, leave them as circles.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and stir to combine.

Dump the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the zucchini and squash are almost cooked all the way through. Top the dish with the remaining cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned on top.

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We actually enjoyed this as a main dish rather than a side dish at our house, but it could easily be used as either one, especially if you are looking for a meatless option.

It also reheated well. There was quite a bit of juice that came out of the vegetables, too, so be ready to serve this with a slotted spoon or spatula. It might be helpful to transfer it to a different dish for serving at a table if you want to keep it from sloshing around.

No matter what, I hope you have time to socialize with family and friends this holiday season—whether that’s while you’re stuck in the kitchen or not.

Lindsey Young is managing editor of The Clarion, the Kansas Publishing Ventures newspaper in Andale. She can be reached at lindseyclarion@gmail.com.

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