Summer Squash Bake

Book tour stop in Savannah for Librarian's Table, speaking to bookstore crowd about food and literature. The week was the life. The life was the cooking. The cooking was the love. And the love was the week, and the week was one of the weeks that stack together to become the years, and the years become the life, and the life is the woman at the stove who cooks and writes and loves and does not stop.

I made she-crab soup on Sunday — the anchor, the constant, the practice. The soup was perfect. The perfection was the practice. And the practice continues, one Sunday at a time, one bowl at a time, one life at a time, the woman stirring, the roux thickening, the kitchen warm, the family fed, the love alive.

She-crab soup is Sunday’s anchor in my house — but when the garden is giving and the week has been full to bursting, I turn to this Summer Squash Bake the same way: it goes into the oven while I decompress, and it comes out warm and golden just when I need it most. After Savannah, after the readings, after all the beautiful noise of a book tour, my hands needed something simple and true to do — and this bake, with its quiet layers and unhurried heat, gave me exactly that. It is the kind of recipe that does not ask much of you, and in return asks you to slow down just long enough to remember why you cook in the first place.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Sweat the vegetables. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the squash and zucchini, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, 3/4 cup of the cheddar, and the Parmesan. Fold in the cooked vegetable mixture until evenly combined.
Assemble. Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar over the top.
Top and bake. In a small bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with the olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle evenly over the cheese layer. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the bake is set through the center.
Rest and serve. Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before serving. It holds together beautifully and tastes even better the next day.

Nutrition (per serving)

Summer Squash Bake — The Weekly Anchor That Keeps Me Whole