Speedy Spaghetti, Of Sorts- Spaghetti Squash with Eggplant Bolognese

I've been wanting to try out spaghetti squash for awhile now, but just hadn't really figured out what I'd make it with. Recently though Tracy over at Shutterbean shared a Martha Stewart Living recipe with spaghetti squash that she had tried and loved, and it inspired me. She made Living's Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs. When I saw that spaghetti squash were on sale I picked one up on my last grocery trip. However, I didn't have a whole lot of free time on my hands this week with plenty of school work on my plate. I did however have a batch of Eggplant Bolognese in my freezer. I followed MS Living's recipe to cook my squash, heated my thawed sauce on the stove, and then topped the squash with it when everything was done. Some fresh Parmesan on top and I was ready to go.

Fresh Ingredients

This week Josh brought home some goodies from the Garden Fairy, a.k.a. his dad. So, I changed up my weekly menu a little bit to make good use of some of our fresh-from-the-garden veggies. I had been thinking about doing the Zucchini & Yellow Squash Gratin that I made last month, but then at some point during the day I decided to change it up and go out on a limb. The squashes I got from John are really big. So, I thought I would sub them for Eggplant in my Baked Eggplant Parmesan. I sliced the zucchini and squash into rounds, and breaded and baked them according to the recipe. I baked them for 15 minutes, then flipped and baked for 15 minutes more. I layered them in the baking dish in alternating fashion so you would get both zucchini and squash in a serving. While the whole dish bubbled and baked in the oven I boiled up some penne to serve with it. This was really pretty good. It wasn't drastically different from the eggplant version, but a little more colorful and overall a really good use for some of the great produce we got from the Pop-In-Law.

Gratin and bare it....

So, wouldn't you know that not taking a pic would finally bite me in the tush. I was planning on posting this earlier today, but the recipe wasn't up on Martha's site, so I couldn't relay it to you while at work. And since there's no recipe, there's also no picture. And since I didn't take one, you'll just have to take my word that it is a colorful dish. Monday night's dinner was a Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin, which we had with a nice salad and a little bit of leftover pork. This was a good dish, and a fairly quick and easy recipe, also. I think this recipe would be great for a spring or summer get-together too- easy to make, creamy, and rich without being heavy. And did I mention it's colorful. The beautiful green and yellow discs create a very pretty base for the cream, Parmesan, and panko.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium zucchini (appx. 7 oz. ea.), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 medium yellow squash (appx. 7 oz. ea.), sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup panko
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add zucchini, yellow squash, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini and squash are crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add cream, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in 1/2 cup panko and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Spoon mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining panko and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Bake until top is golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

My notes: Things got a little sticky once I added the panko and Parmesan. This is the first time I've cooked with panko, a Japanese breadcrumb made by cooking leavened bread dough electromagnetically. I guess it's the leavened aspect that made it smell yeasty, almost like beer to me. It supposed to be lighter than regular breadcrumbs, and this dish wasn't heavy at all to me, despite the heavy cream. I guess it worked. Also, I'm going to try and remember to post the nutritional info for recipes if I have it, as I've noticed that they don't list it anymore on the MS website. Luckily they still have an index in the back of the Everyday Food issues. If they do away with that, I'd have to give Martha a piece of my mind!

Per serving: 328 calories; 20.3 grams fat; 12.3 grams sat. fat; 10.5 grams protein; 27.7 grams carbohydrates; 3.1 grams fiber