Fresh Picked Zucchini and Squash Au-gratin

I live in a quite ideal location, a small are about 20 minutes south of Miami, I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. I can head about 20 min north east and have everything the big city people enjoy and love, or i can just walk out my back door and have the country and open land as far as the eye can see.

Today is all about the country part and one of my favorite things. U-pick vegetable stands and fields, they are everywhere and offer wide varieties of fresh, home grown, fruits and veggies. 

I was able to get a ton of fresh Zucchini and Yellow Squash for almost nothing. I am in the process of trying to eat clean and get back in shape after having baby number 2 and also trying to provide better meals for my family which also means trying to get my almost three year old to enjoy her veggies.

This recipe was simple and quick! Since I had such a large quantity of squash this recipe made a large serving dish amount that is going to last my family for a few days. 

Ingredients

2 tbls of butter 

5 cloves of garlic

3 medium to large Zucchini

4 medium yellow squash

Salt and pepper for taste

1 cup of either half and half or heavy whipping cream (the heavy whipping cream will give a more creamy texture and the half and half will not be as thick and creamy)

2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese 

4 to 5 tbls of parmesan cheese ( I used the shaved kind but you can also use the grated kind if you prefer) 

2/3 cup of plain panko bread crumbs

1) Preheat the oven to 425 F

2) Dice the garlic and set aside (I love garlic so i go heavy with the five cloves but you can cut down and use how ever many you want).  Cut the zucchini and squash in round slices, I made my slices about 1/4 in thick so they don't fall apart when cooking. 

3) In a large saucepan melt the butter, add in garlic and veggies and saute occasionally stirring to make sure they cook evenly. Add salt and pepper as desired, I cooked the veggies for about 7 min leaving them still pretty crisp but not raw. 

4) Stir in the 1 cup of cream and cook for about 5 min until the cream begins to thicken. 

5) Add in 1/3 cup of the panko, stir in and add cheese, mix together and then transfer half to the baking dish. Sprinkle some of the parm cheese and top with the rest of the veggie mix. 

6) Top with the remaining parm cheese and panko bread crumbs, Bake for 20 to 25 min or until the top is a golden brown color. Let cool for a few min and serve. 

Like I said before I love love love garlic so I went a little heavy on the garlic but that is my taste. Everyone is different so if you are not a fan i would not recommend the 5 cloves, maybe try 1 or 2.

Mmm love those colors! Now I cooked mine to keep it a little crisp when the dish was complete but if you want to have a more soft dish I would recommend sauteing the veggies a little bit longer until they are more tender.

The halfway mark where I added the parm before topping with the other half of the sauted veggies.

 Right before it went in the oven! Topped with panko and cheese and ready to go.

Now like I said before, I am trying to get back to my pre prego fit self as well as trying to please the family with some not so bland meals. I am following the Weight Watchers plan, this is an amazing plan that allows me to eat with my family and still splurge on some of my favorite food. So for this particular dish I just watched my portions! This is still a healthy dish and my family loved it so I hope yours does too :)