For those of you who follow my food blog, you probably know that my husband does not enjoy eating his vegetables. Remember the time I had to Trojan Horse his meatloaf with kale? He LOVES that meatloaf now, btw. Anyway, this week I decided to turn some local squash I picked up at the Farmers Market into a delicious new side dish: Mexitalian Skillet Squash. My guy loves Mexican and Italian food, so I’m marrying some ingredients together to step of the flavors on yellow summer squash.
When my rescue kitten, Storm, escaped this month, my husband and I freaked out; we bawled like babies and taped signs all over the neighborhood. Luckily, she returned to us 24 hours later, but we were wiped out and malnourished. We needed comfort food, stat, so I whipped up this easy, cheesy skillet side dish and it helped add an additional smile to our faces. We are SO HAPPY that she is home!
I’ve recently started cooking with my mini cast iron skillet collection, and I’m having so much fun. Skillet dishes just add an extra depth of flavor and the cookware ensures the perfect amount of crispiness for this cheese and tomato topped squash.
My Mexitalian Skillet Squash almost has a pizza type flavor…hah, do I have your attention now? Pizza is my weakness, so it doesn’t surprise me that this flavor combination made it into my veggies! Let me mention, again, that this squash side dish is easy, so you have another reason the bust out the cast iron and get cooking!
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add squash, onion, taco seasoning, olive oil and tomato paste. Toss all ingredients together gently to mix thoroughly.
2. Layer half the squash in skillet and then cover with tomato slices. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of Mexican blend cheese and ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.
3. Layer remaining squash on top and repeat layering of tomato slices and cheese. Before placing in the oven, sprinkle ¼ cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!
