Cheesy Summer Squash Flatbreads

Fourth week. Labor Day weekend. Hannah's sisters Linda and Marcia drove down again — third time in a year, which is a record, and which Hannah pointed out with a smile. They came to help. They cooked. They cleaned. They sat with me. I was in the recliner half the days but I was in better shape than I had been in three weeks. The shoulder is moving in the small range Dr. Watt cleared at the two-week check.

Linda taught Hannah a new bread recipe she'd picked up in Stillwater — a wild yeast loaf with rosemary and olive oil baked on a hot stone. Hannah baked three loaves. The kitchen smelled like rosemary for two days. We ate the loaves with butter and sliced tomatoes from the garden. The tomato season is winding down — the last big push of fruit before the plants slow. Marcia made a tomato pie with the last of them and it was the best tomato pie I'd ever eaten. She gave Hannah the recipe written on a notecard. Hannah taped it to the inside of the pantry door, where the keeper recipes live.

Sunday Lily and Ben came up with Ada and Quoy. The whole gang again. Eight people for dinner — Linda and Marcia and Hannah and me and Lily and Ben and Ada and Quoy. Caleb couldn't come — he and Miriam had her son's graduation from a community college program. Sent us pictures. Miriam beamed in every shot. Caleb was holding her hand. I showed Hannah. Hannah said: there. I said: yes.

The cohort's second class week. Dwight is taking to it. The students like him. I'm doing more talking than I usually do but the talking has its place. I gave the first long lecture I've given in a while — about the geometry of a weld, about why the bead is shaped the way it's shaped, about the physics of metal under heat. The students asked good questions. The class is going to be a class. The arrangement is working.

Marcia’s tomato pie on that notecard taped inside the pantry door — that’s the image I keep coming back to. The keeper recipes. The ones that earn their place because they arrived at exactly the right moment, made by the right hands, for a table full of people who needed feeding. We had squash still coming in from the garden alongside those last tomatoes, and these cheesy summer squash flatbreads carry that same spirit: honest produce, a little heat, something melted and golden on top, ready in time for whoever shows up at the door.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 medium yellow summer squash or zucchini, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 flatbreads or naan (store-bought or homemade, about 7–8 inches each)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly oil them. If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven while it preheats.
Season the squash. In a bowl, toss the sliced squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Let sit 5 minutes so the squash begins to release a little moisture.
Oil the flatbreads. Brush each flatbread with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, spreading it evenly to the edges.
Layer the cheese. Distribute the mozzarella evenly across all four flatbreads as the base layer, then scatter the feta over the top. Reserve the Parmesan for finishing.
Add the squash. Arrange the seasoned squash slices over the cheese in a single layer, slightly overlapping. Scatter the thyme over the top.
Bake. Transfer flatbreads to the preheated baking sheets (or stone). Bake for 16–20 minutes, until the edges are crisp and golden and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned in spots. Rotate the pans halfway through.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately dust with grated Parmesan. Scatter the torn fresh basil or parsley over the top. Slice and serve hot directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Summer Squash Flatbreads — The Last of the Garden, Shared Around a Full Table