Springtime Squash Au Gratin

About

This au gratin recipe makes a huge batch, but trust that you will want every last bite of it! Yellow and green squash is layered and totally submerged in a classic bechamel sauce that has been amped up with an extra helping of white cheese. Serve this giant side dish for a family/friend gathering, or you can half or even quarter the recipe for just yourself!

Ingredients

1 pound zucchini, raw
1 pound summer squash, raw
1 ¼ teaspoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
4 tablespoon, shredded parmesan cheese, fresh (hard)
4 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon, chopped garlic, fresh
2 cup heavy cream
1 cup, shredded mozzarella cheese, whole milk

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Slice your zucchini and yellow squash into ¼-inch thick, round slices. Transfer the slices to a bowl, and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.
Spray a large, 11X15 baking dish with pan spray. Start arranging your squash slices in the dish in about 4 rows, with each piece halfway overlapping the one before it. You can arrange them as seen in this photo, or your can choose your own creative pattern to arrange them in.
After you make your first layer, sprinkle 2 TB of parmesan over the squash. Then, create your second layer in the same way as your first. Continue until you have used up all your squash, sprinkling parmesan cheese between each layer. The original recipe here made 3 layers. Do not put parmesan over the final layer. Set the baking dish aside.
To make your bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a large pan over low heat. Then, toss in the garlic. Slowly pour the cream into your butter, while whisking, in 4-5 additions. Whisk your cream and butter together until they emulsify and have heated through to just below a simmer.
Whisk in the mozzarella cheese in 3-4 additions until all the cheese has melted and your sauce turns thick and bubble. Take the sauce off the heat.
Pour your cheesy bechamel sauce over your squash dish, making sure all of the top layer gets coated in sauce. Let the sauce drain through all the squash in the dish. Then, bake the dish, uncovered, for 45 minutes. The dish will be thickened and bubbling with golden browned edges. You can continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes to have a more golden top to your dish. Slice the dish into 16 slices and serve with a large spoon to scoop up all that cheesy sauce!