Roasted Zucchini and Squash Bake

Grocery shopping used to be something I looked forward to when the girls were younger. It was a time for me, even if did involve a chore that had to be done.  I could leave the girls at home with their Dad and enjoy the quiet from the commotion that two little girls could cause.  As the years went on and they grew up, they would go with me so they could pick out their school lunch items and this brought on a new level of enjoyment. Well, in reality I just brought the commotion with me now but it was nice to have them along most of the time.

Growing up, I went with my Dad grocery shopping nearly every Saturday while my Mom was at work. It was our thing. We’d get the groceries then head over to the mall next door and get hoagies or a pizza from Franks to take home for lunch.  We’d lug all the groceries up the stairs, put them away, and eat our lunch.  Of course we had to also clean the house but it didn’t seem to bother me so much since it was something I did with my Dad on those Saturdays.  I treasure those grocery shopping trips where I learned to arrange the cart so that you could get the most in there and so the baggers would bag your cold stuff together because it’s the way you set them on the checkout.  Of course, this little “tic” bothers the heck out of my husband now.  I also treasure the memories of all the lunches we shared and conversations.

With each of my girls, we have our “thing” so I do carry on that tradition in ways that fit us.  It’s those times we (I) treasure and hope they do too when they have kids of their own or when they look back over the years past. Some of our best ideas, conversations, and laughs have resulted from these times together.

Grocery shopping is a chore more than ever now. I can’t stand it. Maybe I’m impatient with all the rude people in the stores, the high prices of “fresh” and “healthy” foods don’t help, or maybe it’s just I miss the girls there.  But one thing does remain constant – I love walking through the produce aisles especially when the shelves and bins have just been filled. The fruits and vegetables are arranged just perfectly and when you look down the aisle it’s a rainbow of colors.  It gets my mind going as to what to make with everything.

This week when I went, the zucchini and squash were huge and on sale so they went in my cart and I knew I wanted to use them for dinner that evening.  Instead of slicing them into strips and roasting them that way in the oven, I decided to roast them in a pretty arrangement with some red onion and of course, top them with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. So easy to make and even better to eat!

 

Roasted Zucchini and Squash Bake

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Ingredients

• 3 zucchinis sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 yellow squashes sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 red onion sliced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Spray a 8-inch square casserole dish or pan with non-stick spray.
• Assemble vegetables in a pattern, in rows and drizzle olive oil on top.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, till vegetables are tender.
• Top with Parmesan cheese and set under broiler till cheese melts and browns slightly.