Summer Squash and Tomato Casserole

I LOVE this dish. It is the best of summer in my opinion. The first time I had this was about 25 years ago and my mom made it for Christmas dinner when none of the ingredients were in season, but it was still FANTASTIC. When the squash and tomatoes are at their peak, it is truly magical.

I bought yellow squash and zucchini from Costco. I scrubbed them well and cut them into 3/8″ planks (cut the long way). I combined about 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tsp garlic salt, and 1 tsp dried oregano in a bag and dredged 3 or 4 of the planks at a time. In the meantime, I heated 4 tbsp of olive oil in a large non stick skillet. I cooked the squash on both side until brown.

Once they were cooked, I laid them in a 13 x 9 baking dish.

I continued cooking until I had cooked all the squash. In the middle of cooking, I had to scrape out my pan because I had a really nice roux, but that isn’t what I needed. I started over with fresh olive oil.

While I was cooking the squash I sliced 4 or 5 large tomatoes and sprinkled them with garlic salt and laid them on paper towels to drain. You should allow them to drain for about 30 minutes.

I also gathered about 20 basil leaves and sliced them thinly and sprinkled them over the squash.

I patted the tops of the tomatoes dry and laid them evenly over the squash.

Then I combine 1 1/2 pints of sour cream with about 4 or 5 oz of finely shredded parmesan cheese.

I spread this mixture evenly over the tomatoes. You have to do a little at a time because the tomatoes are slippery.

Bake the casserole at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown and the vegetables are bubbly.

You may be tempted to dig into it right away. Don’t do it. It’s hot like lava and the juices have all exuded into the pan. The flour from frying the squash will help absorb some of the juice so it will be easier to serve. My husband doesn’t know it, but this is dinner….I may make some garlic bread to go with it, or not….