Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Individual Zanyas (A Tutorial)

When I was a kid, I absolutely hated squash - I wanted absolutely no part of it!! As I've **ahem** grown up, I've come to my senses about this super summer veggie.  So if you find yourself with an abundance of crookneck or zucchini, give this recipe a try.  I will admit that this is a little more "handsy" than what I normally promote, but it is oh so worth it! 

What to Gather:
  • 1 Yellow Squash or Zucchini per person (or more if really hungry!)
  • Oil (your choice – I’ve been using Safflower lately)
  •  S&P
  • 1 or 2 pats of butter
  •   ¼ to ½ of an onion chopped (I prefer a sweet onion, but red would also be good)
  •  1 small container of low fat ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (can use a large container if you're making a bunch)
  •  Shredded Parmesan Cheese (about 1/3 cup)
  •  2 tbsp. Basil (dried or finely chopped fresh)
  • Garlic Powder to taste
  • Salt &Pepper to taste
  • Your favorite pasta or spaghetti sauce

What To Do 
  • Preheat grill (outdoor or indoor) and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
  • Wash and thinly slice the squash lengthwise; these will be your noodles.  (I used my mandolin slicer   which makes perfectly uniform slices!)  
  • Brush each slice with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
    •  Grill on both sides; you are looking for some nice caramelization and for the squash to be soft.
    •  While the squash is grilling, caramelize onions in butter.
     
    •  Mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, basil, s&p, garlic powder, and caramelized onions together - do this to your own taste. (Note - if you use cottage cheese, make sure it's drained thoroughly!)
    • In a casserole dish, start layering – squash, cheese mixture, squash, cheese mixture, on and on until it’s how you like it – or depending on how many individual stacks you want; just be sure to end up with  squash on top.
    • Top with your favorite sauce, and more parmesan cheese.
      Place in the oven until heated through and cheese is melted…about 20 to 30 minutes.
      Enjoy!!!

      2 comments:

      1. this sounds delicious! As soon as I get more than one squash/zucchini I'm going to give it a try.

        ReplyDelete
      2. Thanks so much! Let me know how it turns out!

        ReplyDelete

      Have a seat...let me know what you think!