Squash and Zucchini Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

Hey y'all! HB here! My family has a farm share from one of our all time favorite farmers. Eddie, at Kellogg Valley Farms, keeps us stocked up on wonderful, chemical free, local veggies. We have had lots of squash and zucchini lately and I've been putting it to good use. For the first time tonight, I made stuffed zucchini. It was a show stopper.

Stuffed Zucchini
1 huge zucchini, or 2 big zucchini
1 onion, diced
4-8 cloves garlic, diced (I like a LOT of garlic, trust me, go for it on this)
2 small or 1 large bell pepper, diced
3 eggs, beaten (these days, I get mine from Katie at Farm Girl...delish!)
1 1/2 cups browned sausage (Sausage from Katie is divine as well, but I didn't have any and used cherry chipotle sausage from Whole Foods and it was very, very good)
1 3/4 cups sharp cheddar, shredded plus extra cheese for the topping
1-2 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread crumbs (can omit if you are gluten-free)

So, take your big ole zucchini, cut it in half, sprinkle a little oil or butter on it and bake it in the oven at 300 for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through. Brown your sausage and saute the garlic, bell pepper, and onion in lots of butter. After the zucchini is done baking, let it cool for a minute or two, then scoop out the guts and turn the zucchini over to let the rest of the liquid drain out for maybe 10 minutes. Combine sausage, sauteed veggies and remaining ingredients and stir well. Fill the hollowed out zucchini with this yummy goodness and bake it at 350 for about 25 minutes, top with more cheese and bake for just a few minutes longer. This bad boy was just about to go in the oven:




Slice the zucchini into 1" serving sizes as pictured below. Eat and enjoy!

And, last but definitely not least, my favorite squash casserole. Now, don't let the word casserole turn you off here. Just trust me. This is total comfort food. 

Look at this beautiful squash!!

Squash Casserole 
5 pounds medium yellow squash
2 eggs beaten
1 cup bread crumbs plus more for topping
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 stick softened butter
1/4 cup sugar (I used sucanat)
2 teaspoons salt
dash pepper or more if you like things spicy

Trim squash and cut in slices (as shown above), boil in a large saucepan with plenty of water for about 20 minutes or till tender. Drain in a colander and then mash. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole. I used a 9x13 dish and it was full. Top with more breadcrumbs and bake at 350 till lightly brown. Makes 12-16 servings. Seriously. This is a great dish for holidays or cookouts. And, for all you sugar hating peeps, I have tried to make this without the sugar and I am hear to testify: it is not as good. But, I like things sweet, even my veggies. If you are gluten free and are omitting the crumbs, I'd add a couple extra eggs and really, really drain the squash well and I think it'd be fine. Maybe you could top it with some cheddar for extra kick? Enjoy!