medtran49
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My DH came up with this dish before we met 35+ years ago. It's a tasty, homey, comfort food type side dish.
This time, I used a 9.5x6.5x2 inch, 1.5 quart dish, but you can make as much or as little as you like, adjusting baking dish and times as needed.
You can use all of 1 kind of squash or a mix as we always have.
INGREDIENTS
2 of each type squash, about 9-10 inches long each, 4 in total
1 regular tube of original flavor Ritz crackers, finely ground
About 1/3 of a medium size onion
4-5 Tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Wash, dry, and cut off the blossom end of each squash, then slice around 1/4 inch. If you slice too thin, the squash tends to disintegrate. If you slice too thick, the cooking time increases proportionally. I use a full size adjustable mandoline and check the thickness by putting a squash up next to the blade, then adjusting as needed. Set aside.
Peel and thinly slice the onion, about 1/8 inch thick. I use an adjustable hand-held ceramic mandoline for this. Set aside.
Butter your baking dish generously. Shingle 1/4 of zucchini in a layer in bottom of dish, then lightly salt and pepper.
Add a layer of the other squash, using 1/4 of it, then scatter 1/4 of the onions over the squash, lightly salt and pepper, sprinkle 1/4 of the finely ground Ritz crackers on top, and dot with small pieces of butter.
Repeat layers until everything has been used, pressing down on every third or fourth layer, before adding salt and pepper, so that everything fits and you don't end up with a dome.
Lightly cover with foil or the lid of your baking dish if there is one. Bake at 400 F for around 45 minutes or until a knife goes in without any resistance and doesn't pull anything out when removed. Remove the foil or lid after about 20 minutes so that the top browns nicely and excess liquid evaporates.
NOTES
Don't use a thicker layer of Ritz crackers than shown in pictures. If you use too thick of a layer it gets cakey and dry tasting, not pleasant. DH got a bit carried away once, thinking more is better. It's not.
You can slice everything by hand, but a mandoline or a slicing disc in a food processor sure cuts down on the prep time.
This holds heat pretty well in the baking dish so it can stand and rest for 20-30 minutes covered.
I tend to make this when I have a main that roasts in the oven and/or other sides. The meal I originally intended to make was this, a pork tenderloin, and roasted potatoes, but DH saw some nice rib eyes at grocery, so ended up being this and baked potatoes in the oven, and steaks on the grill.