Yellow Squash and Zucchini Gratin -- The Fancy Cheese Kristin Brought

Kristin came for the weekend. She flew into Midway on Friday night with a carry-on bag and a tote bag full of things: a cashmere blanket for the babies that is too nice for babies to have but which she bought anyway, a bottle of wine for Ryan, a block of fancy cheese for me because she remembered I said I had been craving real cheese, and approximately three hundred opinions about the most efficient way to organize a diaper bag. She is a trial attorney and she approaches everything like a case she has already prepared for. It is exhausting and I love her completely.

She held Owen for two hours straight on Saturday and did not complain. She sat on the couch with him while I slept and when I came out she had made a list of three observations about his behavior that she wanted to share. One of the observations was useful. Two of the observations were the kind of thing you say when you have never had a baby. I did not tell her this. I told her the one useful observation was a really good catch.

Saturday night after the babies were down Kristin opened the wine and I opened the fancy cheese and we sat at my kitchen table until midnight talking in the way that sisters who live in different cities talk when they finally have time, which is to say we talked about everything at once, about our parents getting older, about Matt and whether he is happy in Springfield, about what the next ten years look like for each of us. She asked if I missed teaching and I said yes and no and she said that sounds right.

She left Sunday afternoon and standing in the doorway watching her Uber pull away I thought about how much I used to find her intimidating and how at some point without my noticing it she became one of the people I most want to see when things are hard. Adulthood does that to siblings, I think. Life makes them people you actually chose.

After Kristin’s Uber pulled away on Sunday I stood in the kitchen staring at the remnants of the fancy cheese block she’d brought me — still half a wedge left on the cutting board — and I thought the least I could do was not waste it. I’d picked up yellow squash and zucchini at Aldi earlier in the week with no real plan, and suddenly the plan was obvious: a gratin, something warm and layered and honest, the kind of dish that feels like it has some effort behind it even when you are running on interrupted sleep and leftover gratitude.

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Gratin

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

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère or sharp white cheddar (or whatever fancy cheese you have on hand)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or equivalent gratin dish with olive oil.
2. Salt the squash. Spread the sliced yellow squash and zucchini on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let sit 10 minutes, then pat dry. This draws out excess moisture so the gratin doesn’t turn watery.
3. Sauté the aromatics. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
4. Layer the dish. Arrange the squash and zucchini in overlapping rows in the prepared baking dish. Scatter the sautéed onion and garlic evenly over the top. Season with black pepper and dried thyme.
5. Add the cream and cheese. Pour the heavy cream evenly over the vegetables. Scatter the shredded Gruyère (or your chosen cheese) over the top, followed by the grated Parmesan.
6. Make the topping. In a small bowl, stir the panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until combined. Sprinkle evenly over the cheese layer.
7. Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the cream is bubbling around the edges. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
8. Rest before serving. Let the gratin sit for 5 minutes before scooping. This helps it set up slightly and makes serving much tidier.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 220 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg