Tomato, Bell Pepper and Squash Gratin

A few Saturday's ago when I walked home from the Farmer's Market, I encountered my neighbor who was on her way there.  We talked about the tomato season ending soon and I remarked about not wanting to go to back to eating "hot house" tomatoes.  She told me she bought 60 lbs of tomatoes and froze them.  She said it doesn't help with fresh eating, but helps through winter meals.  She said she only eats locally grown tomatoes when in season.  Then she mentioned this dish.  I don't know if it's with fresh or frozen or if she uses summer or winter squash, but this went on my "to-do" list.  I asked her for her recipe, and I did my own spin on it.  Of course, tomato season is over for me at this time now.   😢


Here's her recipe:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups diced squash
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Oil or butter a baking dish. Melt 2 T. butter and pour over breadcrumbs (I sometimes use oil instead. Stir in the chopped herbs. Sauté the onion until beginning to brown. Stir in squash, maybe with a splash of wine. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook until the tomatoes are warmed through. Season with a little salt. Transfer to prepared baking dish, sprinkle cheese on top, and finish with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

I like Kobacha squash so that is what I used.  Personally I like winter squash more than summer ones, though summer ones are much easier to peel!  I used the best looking, ripest tomatoes I could find.  They were advertised as "beefsteak", but they looked like vine ripened hot house to me.  I had a red bell pepper, so threw that in.  I used Panko for the breadcrumbs and Gruyere for the cheese.  My herbs were Italian flat leaf parsley and fresh thyme.

I started the prep work first.  The squash took the longest, everything else was pretty standard.  I cut them into small bite size pieces because I wanted to make sure they cooked through properly.  I seasoned with fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.

I did splash some wine in with the squash and added some parsley and thyme.  After I poured it all into the baking dish, I mixed a handful of cheese in as well.

The rest went on top, followed by the panko.

I baked mine for 45 minutes, but I used more ingredients as well so figured it need extra time.  It came out perfectly cooked.

I baked some boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated in a soy, maple syrup, garlic, chili mixture.  This is what I served with.

I enjoyed this very much.  I didn't love the bell pepper in it though as I felt it over powered the other ingredients.  Other than that, it was a great dish.