Ahhh..... Summer Squash!

I have to say, one of my favorite things about the late Spring / early Summer is the sudden abundance of squash. Some people who raise zucchini and yellow squashes often tire of them long before their season is over. I, however, am not one of those people! I continually get excited about the prospect of new casseroles and such containing those green and yellow gems.

And as much as I'd like to be able to admit that the bounty for this particular recipe came from my very own garden, they actually came from the next best thing ... our Farmer's Market in downtown Nashville! So hats off to the people that were able to get their plants in and going THAT much earlier than mine!

Tonight, I whipped up something for dinner that took me maybe 15 minutes and then the baking time in the oven. It was a meatless evening and I am by NO means a vegetarian, but sometimes I just like the taste of fresh ... and nothing does that better for me than veggies. It was perfect with some crusty bread and butter, and a spinach salad with strawberries and a balsamic dressing. So here we go ... a casserole recipe to help you get rid of some of the squash in your garden when you have TOO much and need yet another recipe!

Spring Squash Casserole

• 2 6 - 7" zucchini, sliced very thin
• 2 6 - 7" yellow squash, sliced very thin
• 1 medium onion (cut in half top to bottom), sliced very thin
• 4 Tblsp butter
• 4 Tblsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried (or 2 tsp fresh chopped) parsley

Place the onions, then the yellow squash then the zucchini in a steamer basket and steam them until tender (about 10 minutes depending on how thick your squash and onion slices are).

In the meantime, start your béchamel sauce by melting the butter over low heat the adding the flour until you have a nice soft yellow roux ... by stirring the flour into the butter until it's thick and creamy looking. Add the salt, pepper and dry mustard to the sauce then gently stir in the milk. As the sauce heats through, it will thicken. When it has the consistency of a ranch dressing, remove from the heat. Add the steamed veggies to the béchamel sauce and mix through, then turn the mixture into a buttered baking dish.

Mix the olive oil with the bread crumbs and parsley and add the mixture to the casserole spread as evenly over the top as possible. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and then remove cover and bake for 5 extra minutes to brown the breadcrumb topping, if desired.

As you know, you can modify this ANY way you want to..... you can use ALL zucchini or ALL yellow squash. You could mix in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese if you're trying to please picky kids. Add a little cayenne pepper to the breadcrumb topping for an extra zip. It's your palette so color, flavor and texture the casserole any way you wish! And as always, the measurements are a "suggestion" to get you started on a "method" for this casserole. If you like a thinner sauce, add more milk. Try some different spices. More butter flavor? Add 2 more tablespoons of butter..... it's YOUR turn to make something ... now go create! Until next time, as always, ciao!