Scalloped Squash and Potato Au Gratin

Well I was bored again today and decided to throw some things together in the kitchen.  Looking at what I had on hand and came up with this recipe.  Now I know Au Gratin potatoes are made with cheese and scalloped potatoes are made with a white sauce so I kind of made both of them in one dish with vegetables added in of course.

Ingredients:

4 Yellow Summer Squash

4 Zucchini 

8-10 Red Potatoes

2 Onions

16 oz. Cream Cheese

1/2 stick butter

1 bunch green onions

1 1/2 half & half

1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional - I sprayed with an olive oil spritzer instead of using butter mixed in)

Salt, Pepper and Mrs. Dash (use whatever you want)

Alright so first off I sliced up my red potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and onions and threw them into a pot.  I then added about a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, salt, liberal amounts of black pepper and a few shakes of Mrs. Dash.

I cooked the vegetables for about five minutes then added about 1/2 cup of water to the pot, stirred the vegetables and covered for about 15 minutes on a medium high heat to allow the vegetables to cook some.. this will cut down on the baking time.

You are going to want to turn the heat off once the vegetables get to this state.. softened but still not fully cooked (at least not all of them)

Now what you want to do is put half of the vegetables in a greased pan and top with one cup of shredded Cheddar cheese.  Add the other half of the vegetables on top of this layer but do not put any cheese on top of it yet.

After you have your pan situated go back to the stove (I used the same pot I cooked the vegetables in) and start making your sauce.  You want to put in the cream cheese, butter, half and half and green onions and cook down until everything is melted into a smooth sauce (with the exception of the green onions)

Once your sauce is fully incorporated take your pot back to the pan you have the vegetables in and pour the sauce evenly over the top.. If you don't cover everything just smooth it around with a spoon.  Top with the remaining Cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.

Now you are ready to place in the oven - baked at 370 degrees for about 35-40 minutes

Allow to sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.