It’s summer, which means it’s time for some summer squash. I’m a HUGE fan of squash casserole (it graced our table weekly growing up), but was into this recipe, which used squash in a casserole, rather than as the foundation for the whole thing.
We talk about one-pot/pan meals all the time and how great they are. They save time! There’s less cleanup! But we usually forget to mention the OG one-pan meal: the casserole. Typically, my casseroles are side dishes and when I do make a protein-based one, it’s backed with carbs and cream of mushroom soup. This casserole is a full meal that eliminates a lot of those ingredients so it feels a lot lighter. (It’s still pesto sauce and cheese so I’m not saying it’s healthy, but it’s healthier than most of my other casseroles.)
I adapted this recipe, but essentially you do the following:
- Layer a baking dish as follows:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Chopped squash, zucchini, and onion
- Pesto
- Mozzarella and Parmesan
- Add the ingredients that make this “adapted”. Meaning, I followed the recipe but added a little panko to the top as well as some lemon zest, salt, lemon pepper, and chili flakes.
- Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes (I baked covered for 30, uncovered for about 8)
This dish came out perfectly, and I love that it was packed with fresh summer veggies. Note: the zuchhini releases some water as it cooks. This is not a big deal since it just stays at the bottom of the pan; in fact, if you were to serve this over rice or mashed potatoes, it would make a nice sauce. Also, since this recipe eliminates ingredients like cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, there’s no mixing required – it couldn’t be easier. And did I mention that fresh mozz made for a perfect topping? Fresh mozz never gets old.
Peaches to Apples 