Description

Summer squash, onion, and bell pepper tossed in marinara and topped with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese. A cheesy baked Italian-inspired family favorite.

Ingredients

Scale

4 smooth-skinned summer squash, Quartered and chopped into 1/4 inch chunks
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped
32 ounces marinara (I like Rao’s)
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend or Italian-blend cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon oregano or Italian seasoning
3–4 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
optional: 4-5 dallops (tablespoons) of ricotta cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add all veggies and season liberally with salt and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes until veggies are tender (the veggies will shrink as cooked). Let rest for 5 minutes, push veggies to one side of the pan, tilt, and discard any excess water (soaking up with paper towel helps).
Pour in marinara (reserving 1 cup) and Mexican blend cheese. Toss until evenly coated in the sauce. Cover top with an even layer of remaining marinara followed by mozzarella cheese (and optional dollops of ricotta), cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
In the last 10 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered. Let cool for 5 minutes, top with fresh basil and serve. You can alternately broil uncovered for 1 minute to brown up the cheese at the very end.

Notes

This recipe works really well with a combination of shredded mozzarella and Mexican-blend cheese. If you want to stick with Italian cheeses, I would recommend a three or four-cheese blend of Italian cheese. You can usually find a pre-shredded blend in the grocery store.

If you’re really pressed for time you alternately toss the raw veggies with the sauce and just bake in the oven to simultaneously cook the veggies and melt the cheese. As mentioned, this method retains more moisture and the veggies will be firmer.

You can make this recipe a day in advance and save the baking portion when ready to serve. Keep in fridge until ready to bake.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/6
Calories: 317
Sugar: 8.5g
Sodium: 810mg
Fat: 23.5g
Saturated Fat: 9.6g
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 4.5g
Protein: 17.8g
Cholesterol: 40mg

Keywords: summer squash recipes