Zucchini Au Gratin

It's already mid-summer and if I see one more spiral zucchini recipe I'm going to go berzerk! Granted, I've bust out a few each year for... oh gosh however freaking long I've been humoring my blogging addiction, but it doesn't mean I can't get sick of them. I get it; zoodles are fun to say, fun to eat, and they're trendy as all get out, but they're are basically assaulting me via Pinterest at this point and I'm contemplating a restraining order. Now do me a favor and slice your gosh darn zukes to make this dish?
You'll be glad you did. I'll be glad you did.
Oh look food!

Zucchini Au Gratin with Cheddar Fontina (yields 4 small side dish sized servings or 2 larger sides)

ingredients: 1 large or extra large zucchini squash 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, for sauteing
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
a pinch of nutmeg (optional but delicious!)
a pinch of allspice
a pinch of salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup freshly grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
2-3 TBSP fresh chopped spinach
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 buttery crackers, crushed (I used honey cornbread crackers)

instructions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and slice your zucchini into discs. No need to break out a mandolin to get them super thin, you'll want them sliced around the same thickness as you'd slice a cucumber for a salad.

note: When working with squash as delicate as zucchini, it helps to take an extra step in the cooking process to remove the excess water that pours outta these green gems. The last thing we want to do is eat a mushy, supremely soggy casserole, so my favorite trick is to blanch the zucchini slices and follow it up with an ice bath and a light sprinkle of salt to draw out the moisture tucked away in the squash. It's a small step but made a huge difference in the texture of the casserole. Had I plopped the zucchini in raw, it would have given up all the moisture into the baking dish. The same also goes for overcooked zucchini. So blanch, ice bath, pat dry, and lightly salting is where it's at. Here's how:

Fill a medium bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to boil with enough water to just cover the zucchini discs. Once the water hits a rolling boil, toss in the zucchini slices for one minute, remove with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander, and immediately plunge them into the ice bath to shock the vegetable and halt the cooking process. Next lay them flat on a layer of paper towels, pat the exposed side dry, and sprinkle with about 1/8 tsp of salt, evenly distributed, to draw out the moisture. Let the discs sit while you move on to the onions and cheese!

fun fact: if you only have Gouda or Gruyere cheese handy to pair with the cheddar, they're fantastic and will just as easily make you want to bathe in them.

Grab the now-empty pot you used to blanch your zucchini and bring to medium-high heat with a tsp of olive oil or butter. Saute the onion and garlic until tender and translucent. Add 1/2 cup of grated cheddar along with the chopped spinach, paprika, garlic powder, nutmeg, allspice, and a pinch of salt since you'll be patting some of the salt off the zucchini. Stir well and remove from heat. Stir in your egg and set aside.

Next give your zucchini discs one last paper towel pat to remove any liquid the salt may have drawn out. Line a shallow baking dish (I used a pyrex pie pan) with the sliced zucchini and pour the cheddar-onion mixture over the center. Top with 1/2 cup of fontina and an extra 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with a few red pepper flakes, to taste, along with some crushed cracker crumbs. Ritz crackers tend to work great as did the Milton Honey Cornbread crackers I used, anything crumbly and buttery! To keep gluten out of the equation, grab some GF crackers or breadcrumbs or simply skip 'em altogether.

Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350F for around 15-18 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove the foil and set the oven to broil on high for an additional 3-5 minutes to give the cheese that extra-golden crust to it, but be sure to keep an eye for it to prevent charring.

Ready... Set... ATTACK!!!!!

so... how was it!? Dare I say that I've never loved zucchini more? It was so stinkin' good!
I've been craving macaroni and cheese a lot lately, but was utterly bored of making it. This? This made me forget all about the noodles! The zucchini hold their own fabulously contributing great taste and texture accented by the drizzle of creamy sauce and smothering of bubbly cheese. I cannot stand a soggy casserole and rely heavily on blanching to keep my veggies al-dente or within that perfect degree of tenderness. Oh and the melty fontina-cheddar combo with the kiss of buttery honey cornbread cracker crust? Hold me. Just... hold me! Ok fine, you can drop me and run into the kitchen to go make this.
Wanna squash it in the kitchen? Here are a few more squash recipes to try out while they're still in season!