Summer Squash Au Gratin

Last night as we were eating dinner, I kept stealing glances into the kitchen; gazing at the end counter. Then I caught myself and realized how far off the deep end I’ve thrown myself. It wasn’t that long ago that I did the same thing after buying a new Stephen King book and adding it to my collection. Heck, I can still clearly remember coming home with a few new LP’s, peeling off the shrink wrap; and poring over the album covers; back when album covers a) existed and b) were big enough to actually pore over. Last night though, last night I was reveling in a vision of vegetables. My counter is piled high with yellow squash, zucchini, sweet corn, cucumbers and more. And I don’t even have a garden any more. Every time a friend drops by to share some of their abundance, I restrain myself from doing what would embarrass the rest of my family to the point of never venturing out in public again. For their sake, I wait until my friend is gone, then and only then, I do my Happy Food Danc

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 -4  medium  yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 1  medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 2  ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1  cup  grated asiago cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Boil sliced squash in a large pot of salted water for 5-8 minutes, until just starting to soften. Pour into a colander and let drain.
3. While squash drains, add oil and melt butter in a medium saucepan set on medium-high. Add onion and saute until just starting to turn golden. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more.
4. In a large bowl, gently fold together cooked squash, onion mixture, sour cream, cream cheese, Asiago, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour into a buttered casserole dish.
5. Top with Panko crumbs.
6. Bake in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes. If the topping doesn’t brown or get crispy enough, feel free to turn on the broiler for a minute or two (but watch the casserole closely). Now! I do my Happy Food Dance.