Baked Squash and Pesto Gratin (adapted from Avocado Pesto, Servings: 4, Total Time: 1 hour)
Ingredients
· 2 large yellow summer squash
· 2 medium tomatoes
· ⅓ cup basil pesto
· 1 cup shredded Italian cheese
· salt and pepper
Instructions
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.) Grease the bottom and sides of a baking dish with pesto.
3.) Slice the squash and tomatoes into ¼ inch rounds.
4.) Layer squash and tomatoes in a baking dish, brushing tops of each layer with pesto and sprinkling some salt and pepper.
5.) Top with shredded cheese.
6.) Bake for 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the cheese has started to brown.
I had an open jar of pesto that I wanted to use and this recipe seemed like a perfect “excuse”. I love summer squash – and if you pair it with cheese, it’s kind of difficult to go wrong. I used the same ingredients as the original recipe, except that I used shredded Italian cheese because that’s what we had in our refrigerator. I also made this into a casserole, whereas the original recipe says to use one baking sheet.
The taste was very Italian-ish, with the pesto and cheese. The squash stayed a bit crunchy, which was a nice consistency against the soft tomato. Overall, not a bad dish and pairs well with Trader Joe’s Italian Sausage-less sausage.
