Cheesy Squash — The Quick Side That Feeds You and the People You Study With

The week after the birthday has a specific glow — the kind of glow that lingers after something important has happened and the importance is still settling into your bones. "That's right." I have been carrying those two words like a talisman, turning them over in my mind during organic chemistry lectures and library study sessions and the quiet moments between sleep and waking. MawMaw Shirley said my roux was right. The cook has been confirmed. The granddaughter has graduated. The tradition passes.

Organic chemistry continues its assault. We are in reaction mechanisms now — the multi-step dances that molecules perform when they meet, and the drawing of arrows that represent the movement of electrons, which is both abstract and concrete, like choreography on a molecular stage. I am learning to see the patterns. Dr. Whitfield says pattern recognition is the key to organic chemistry. MawMaw Shirley says pattern recognition is the key to cooking — knowing when the roux smells right, when the onions have softened enough, when the gumbo has reached the moment just before it is done. Same skill. Different molecules.

Priya and I studied in my apartment Sunday — she on the couch with flashcards, me at the kitchen table with reaction diagrams. We studied in parallel silence, the kind of silence that only exists between people who trust each other enough to be quiet together. At 8 p.m. I made rice and beans — the quick version, forty minutes, budget-friendly — and we ate without breaking the silence and then resumed studying and at 11 p.m. she left and the apartment was quiet and I washed the dishes and thought about how studying and cooking and friendship are all the same practice: show up, do the work, feed the people who are with you, clean up, rest.

Mama called Tuesday. Brittany is on bed rest — the baby is active and the doctor wants her resting. Jamal is worried. Mama is worried. I am worried. But the baby is healthy and Brittany is healthy and the resting is precautionary, not emergency, and I remind myself of this because I am going to be a doctor and the difference between precautionary and emergency is a distinction I need to learn to make clearly and calmly and to communicate clearly and calmly, and practicing on my own anxiety about my brother's wife is as good a place to start as any.

The rice and beans I made that Sunday with Priya were the main act, but this cheesy squash has been rotating into my Sunday-night repertoire for the same reasons: it’s fast, it costs almost nothing, and it turns into something warm and genuinely good without asking much of you when your brain is already full of reaction mechanisms. There’s something MawMaw Shirley would recognize in it — the same logic of using a little fat, a little heat, and a little patience to make humble ingredients taste like you meant it all along. This one is for the study nights, the budget weeks, and anyone who needs to feed a friend without breaking stride.

Cheesy Squash

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Prep the squash. Wash and dry the squash, then slice into even 1/4-inch rounds. Pat slices dry with a paper towel to prevent steaming in the pan.
2. Season. In a large bowl, toss the squash rounds with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
3. Sauté. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the squash in a single layer (work in batches if needed) and cook for 4–5 minutes per side until golden and just tender. Avoid overcrowding so the squash browns rather than steams.
4. Add the cheese. Reduce heat to low. Scatter the cheddar and Parmesan evenly over the squash. Cover the skillet with a lid for 2–3 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
5. Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with fresh parsley if using, and serve immediately while the cheese is still melted and the squash is warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 162 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 340mg