Sunday, October 20, 2013

MTQ Easy Cooking - Squash Parmesan or Squash Lasagna

Well I warned you that this was an eclectic blog.  Maybe its the need to do penance for swearing in last week's post or perhaps the need to inject a coping mechanism for life stress.  Cooking can be relaxing and a dish like this is particularly good as a stress release as it does not require rigid adherence to a set recipe.  Feel free to experiment.

I have known this dish as Zucchini Parmesan, but perhaps "Lasagna" may be more palatable for young ears.  It is also a great cooking project if your kids enjoy learning to cook...if they help cook it, they are sometimes more likely to try it.  This dish is easy and delicious and a nice way to celebrate the harvest season.  An additional fun "something to do" is that you can incorporate a trip to a local farmer's market.  In selecting zucchini, I prefer the smaller, slender zucchini.  I find them to be tender and more flavorful and often have small or sometimes no seeds which I prefer.


Step 1:  Assemble your ingredients.  These are what I use:
  • Small square pan approximately 8" x 8"
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 bag of pizza or mozzarella cheese (or other preferred cheese)
  • 1 jar of your preferred sauce (you likely won't use all of this)
  • Fresh garlic
  • Parmesan cheese (for topping)
  • Feel free to experiment - perhaps diced fresh tomatoes or peppers & onion if your family is adventurous   

Step 2:  Thinly slice your zucchini into rounded pieces.



Step 3:  Apply a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of the pan.

Step 4:  Scatter about half your zucchini around your pan.  (Great task for young helpers).

Step 5:  Scatter about half your mozzarella cheese over the zucchini.  (Another great task for young helpers).

Step 6:  Scatter the rest of your zucchini into your pan.

Step 7:  Add more mozzarella.

Step 8:  Chop your garlic and mix with sauce, then pour a thin to medium layer of sauce over the top and smooth with a spoon.  (If you have your own secret tomato sauce, feel free to use it).

Step 9:  Sprinkle Parmesan over the top.

Step 10:  Place in an oven - at 350° OR I prefer and recommend using a toaster oven if your pan fits which helps so that you don't overheat your house.  Cook for about 40 minutes or so.



Eat and Enjoy - It's delicious and really is that simple!


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