Summer Squash Spaghetti Ricotta Pie

Alexander started his senior year today. My son walked out the door in a collared shirt — his choice, not mine — with his backpack organized and his schedule memorized and the quiet determination of a young man who knows this is his last year at home and intends to make it count. I watched him drive away and gripped my coffee mug and thought: one more year. One more year of him in this house. One more year of hearing him study at the kitchen table. One more year of making pastitsio and finding the pan empty by morning.

He is focused on college applications with the intensity of a general planning a campaign. His list is finalized: USF, Florida State, UCF, and two schools in Georgia that make me quietly panicked because Georgia is not Florida and not Florida means my son is gone. He says Georgia is close. I say Georgia is not the kitchen table. He says Mom. I say I know, I know.

I closed on three properties this week, which keeps me solidly in the top ten for the county. My reputation is built now — not just building, built. Clients come to me by referral. They say the Greek lady who tells you the truth about roofs. They say the agent who brings food to open houses. They say Eleni. My name precedes me. This is what Nikos built at the bakery over forty years, and I have done it in five, because the world moves faster now but the principles are the same: show up, do good work, feed people.

Mama sent me home with a container of her avgolemono on Sunday, which means she thinks I am working too hard, because Mama sends avgolemono when she worries and she worries when she cannot control things and she cannot control the fact that her daughter is working twelve-hour days in August heat. The avgolemono was perfect, as always. I ate it for lunch on Monday and Tuesday and each spoonful tasted like Mama's kitchen and Mama's love and the particular warmth of broth made by hands that have been making broth since the Eisenhower administration.

I made Greek-style stuffed tomatoes tonight — tomatoes hollowed out and filled with rice, pine nuts, currants, and mint, baked until the tops char and the rice absorbs all the tomato juices. It is a summer dish — seasonal, simple, the kind of food that exists because someone looked at a garden full of tomatoes and said I need to do something with all of these. Sophia ate two and said they tasted like summer in a container. She is not wrong. Summer is ending. The tomatoes know. The kitchen knows. We all know.

After I watched Alexander drive away and came back inside to the quiet kitchen, I wanted to cook something that honored the season the way his stuffed tomatoes had — something that said summer, but not for much longer. This summer squash and ricotta pie is exactly that: a dish that uses what the garden gives you right now, before the tomatoes go and the zucchini thins out and the whole beautiful abundance of August closes up shop. I have made versions of this for years, and every time I pull it from the oven — golden on top, custardy inside, smelling of olive oil and fresh herbs — I think: this is what it means to cook for the people you love while they are still sitting at your table.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
1 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced into rounds
1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pan
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan or deep-dish pie plate and set aside.
Saute the squash. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the zucchini and summer squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender and lightly golden. Remove from heat.
Make the ricotta mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, dried oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
Combine. Add the cooked spaghetti to the ricotta mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Fold in the sauteed squash and the torn basil leaves.
Assemble the pie. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing gently to even it out. Scatter the mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over the top.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until the top is golden and set and the edges are just pulling away from the pan. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 30 minutes.
Rest and serve. Let the pie rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with additional fresh basil if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Summer Squash Spaghetti Ricotta Pie — The Taste of a Summer That Knows It’s Ending