Make Ahead
Summer Squash Gratin with Salsa Verde and Gruyere
Popular on Food52
74 Reviews
Erica B.
April 16, 2020
AMAZING!!! I subbed Cilantro for parsley; used half the butter; added amaranth to t he breadcrumbs for extra crunch. I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I aired it with a French omelette with tarragon. Perfect! This is a staple now.
katehopper
February 19, 2018
I just love it.
Yesterday,I saw its recipe.After then I prepared it at my home and I get a lots of compliment form my family members.
Really,it make my day.
Basically,I am not get a proper time for my family because I am a very busy with http://www.pliadesigns.com/ to maintain and it.So yesterday I get a time and do it.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe.
Yesterday,I saw its recipe.After then I prepared it at my home and I get a lots of compliment form my family members.
Really,it make my day.
Basically,I am not get a proper time for my family because I am a very busy with http://www.pliadesigns.com/ to maintain and it.So yesterday I get a time and do it.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe.
Manhattan T.
November 2, 2014
Have made this several times now with some modifications. I use 1/2 C. oil, which is more than enough, as well as 1-2 Tbs. fresh thyme in the salsa with the other herbs (and none in the gratin). I use 2.5 c. of bread crumbs, 1 Tbs. garlic, 1.5 c. of gruyere and 3# of squash (tossed in a colander with about 1.5 tsp. of salt and left to drain for at least 30 minutes, tossing every few minutes the drained & dried on & under tea towels). I use nearly all of the salsa and chuck all of this goodness into a 12" cast iron skillet (which I've used to brown the butter, since cast iron is so darned good at that). I've made it 2-3 hours in advance and left it, covered and at room temp, with fine results. The additional pound of squash means this easily serves 8-10 as a side, with maybe a serving left over for the next morning's snack. It is absolutely delicious.
Pegeen
September 20, 2014
A truly favorite recipe. In addition to my comments below, another adjustment I made, since I was doubling the recipe for 8, was to sweat the squash in a large, high-sided fying pan with a lid just slightly ajar to get the squash a little pre-cooked before going in the oven and then drain it before mixing with other ingredients. Draining out some liquid in advance helps avoid any sogginess in the final casserole.
bkjurisdr
August 7, 2014
I've made this recipe several times - normally substituting a sharp cheddar for gruyere because that's normally what I have on hand. I love it. The tend to add a bit more herbs and oil to the salsa verde recipe so that I can stretch it out and save half in the fridge for a future batch. I'm making it again this weekend - but since my parsley in the garden didn't produce much this year, I'm going to add some basil to make up for it. Looking forward to seeing how the substitution works!
pvanhagenlcsw
July 7, 2014
Summer squash has never been a wild favorite of mine so this recipe intrigued me; watery and very bland. I went out on a limb this weekend and made it for a dinner party featuring a whole freshly caught salmon as the main course. This was an outstanding vegetable dish;a great balance of flavors. My guests raved about it and I will definitely make this again.
Jess
October 12, 2013
This is perfect! What a lovely dish! I'm having a dinner party next weekend, any ideas for what I should serve it with?
Amanda H.
October 13, 2013
A nice roasted chicken: http://food52.com/recipes/24217-the-best-roast-chicken-with-garlic-and-herb-pan-sauce -- also a grilled steak would be delicious with it.
kgindermaur
September 18, 2013
This was excellent! Though I cut back on food prep by buying your typical salsa verde at the grocery store, still delicious! My dinner party guests all had seconds. Thanks, Amanda!
Effie
September 15, 2013
Thank you Amanda Hesser, this recipe was the bomb!!! I used a mortar & pestle to make the salsa verde (normally I would use the food processor) it was just outstanding; thus satisfying (for me) the food processor vs mortar pestle argument. I'm not a huge fan of summer squash, nor gratin, but every detail - from the brown butter/bread crumb combination, the conservative use of Gruyere, the heat in the salsa verde - was delicious and worth the effort.
I am hosting a special dinner on Friday and this will be on the menu.
I am hosting a special dinner on Friday and this will be on the menu.
Amanda H.
September 16, 2013
Effie, I'm thrilled to hear you liked it so much! Hope your dinner guests on Friday do, as well.
Scribbles
September 4, 2013
I made this last night and it was amazing! Truly the best squash casserole ever. I didn't have any anchovies nor Gruyere but that didn't stop me. Since we are headed out on vacation in 2 days I'm cleaning out the fridge so I used the cheese that was available: feta, ricotta salata, extra sharp white cheddar and parmesan, hey, it was delicious. Also, I cut back on the oil to just 1/4 cup which made a much smaller amount of salsa and I added the entire batch to the squash. Oh, I used panko crumbs cause that's what I had. It really was easy and delicious and two of us ate the entire recipe with a piece of crispy skin salmon.
Amanda H.
September 5, 2013
I like your adjustments -- and I bet the sharper cheeses were nice as gruyere is so rich. Seems like everyone wants to cut back on the oil and I may change the recipe. Have a great vacation!
Valerie S.
August 26, 2013
huh. I have also tried a similar recipe from another site, because this dish always sounds and looks delicious this time of year, and just tried this one, and once again, I don't like it. Maybe I just don't like squash gratin. Or my breadcrumbs are too fine. I make them myself from stale bread in the mortar/pestle and they're ok for most purposes, but this dish ends up waaaay too bready, with an unpleasant almost sandy/fizzy taste. And the ratio of cheese to bread seems way low to me. I think the one time I pulled off a good squash gratin in had tons and tons and tons of Gruyere. Also, 40 minutes was undercooked, even in my very hot oven. 10 minutes didn't come close to draining the squash... (oh, wait, I added zucchini too, was that it?) and what were we supposed to do with the other half of the salsa verde? why make so much if we only use half? And needed more garlic. That's my rant. Would I be crazy to try again with a lot less bread, and more time, cheese and garlic? Or should I just conclude this dish is not for me?
Amanda H.
August 27, 2013
Thanks for your comment. To answer your question about the breadcrumbs, yes, they should be coarse not fine. I just added "coarse" to the ingredient list -- thanks for bringing this to my attention. I think if you use coarse breadcrumbs, it won't turn out bready. Also, I'm wondering about the cooking time -- did you slice the squash thinly? If not, that's the only explanation I can think of for it not being done -- I've made this many times. But perhaps it's also a difference in the pans we use, as well as the oven heat. A mystery! The only point of yours that I don't agree with is the cheese ratio -- this gratin is not supposed to be a cheesy gratin. This may mean that you just don't like this style of gratin, and if so, I'm sorry I couldn't sway you, but hopefully you'll find a squash gratin that you do like. Thanks again for your thoughts!
Valerie S.
August 28, 2013
Thank YOU, Amanda. I should be more upfront about the likelihood of user error. I did not slice the squash thinly enough, you are right. And it's possible that I had too much squash, too. I didn't weight it. I am tempted to try to make this again soon, with the recommended refinements, because a great squash gratin seems like a staple of a summer kitchen. My grocery store makes fresh cilantro and other pestos.... might sub that for the salsa verde in order to make this easier to prep.
Amanda H.
August 28, 2013
I hear you -- it's definitely not a quick recipe! If you make it with a store-bought pesto, let me know how it goes.
Dina M.
August 7, 2013
How have I missed this recipe in the past? My family loved it! We're all a little mad at Sam, who snuck in the kitchen and ate half the top off while it was cooling. Eating the topping only off the gratin should be a serious infraction! Perfect combo of flavors--a fresh take on gratin with the salsa verde. Loved it.
borntobeworn
July 16, 2013
I've made this 4 times now and keep thinking that it will get quicker - not happening. It's a wonderful recipe (I add more hot peppers) but it's so time consuming. I just made a double batch for a dinner party in 3 nights - I've assembled it but won't cook it until then. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will be fine :)
Amanda H.
July 16, 2013
It's definitely not quick, I hear you! I find that I like to plan a very simple accompaniment like roast chicken or fish with it.
borntobeworn
July 28, 2013
Pre-assembly was awesome! The flavors got to know each other before being cooked. I put it in pyrex casserole dishes, sealed very well with plastic wrap, then covered with foil. I also made braised green beans with roasted peppers the same way the next night: assembled it, covered with plastic & foil. On the day of the party, I removed the plastic & foil from both, put them in a cold oven, and cooked them at 350 for 30 minutes. Totally delicious!!!
borntobeworn
July 28, 2013
The one thing I did differently when I pre-assembled and let it sit for days is I used really, really hard bread crumbs. The cafeteria where I work makes their own breadcrumbs that are super hard & firm. I bought about 4 cups of them (I was making a double recipe) and ground them up in the food processor. I think fresh breadcrumbs (as called for in the recipe) would have gotten soggy. I also used about 1/2 the olive oil required & mine was plenty moist but not soggy :)
suziqcu
June 30, 2013
This recipe was truly time consuming, and I was surprised I wasn't happy with my results. I used about a tsp. of dried thyme flakes...still too much. I'm sure recipe meant fresh, but I didn't have. I used less capers, one anchovy, less oil and less mint. It resulted in a bitter salsa, which I then realized I mistakenly had added the small garlic clove to. I love Gruyere, so that wasn't the problem. It was just bitter. I then added a bit of mayo mixed with yogurt and then topped with some of the crumb/brown butter mixture combined with a bit of the cheese. This helped quite a bit. I suppose my mistakes caused my dish to be inferior. Or I just don't like anchovy & capers...not sure.
viblanco
July 13, 2013
I just made this recipe and maybe I have some insight to understand why yours was bitter. I was a bit concerned when the salsa seemed a tad bit bitter. But, really, it was very similar to pesto and no bitterness came through after baking.
I'm wondering if the bitterness was the result of your squash since old summer squash can be incredibly bitter. Make sure that you have fresh squash (on the small side).
At any rate, I want to point out that this dish was very delicious. I made a few adjustments (less oil, no anchovy, lime instead of lemon) based on what I had available. I suggest serving with fresh sliced tomatoes. Good luck.
I'm wondering if the bitterness was the result of your squash since old summer squash can be incredibly bitter. Make sure that you have fresh squash (on the small side).
At any rate, I want to point out that this dish was very delicious. I made a few adjustments (less oil, no anchovy, lime instead of lemon) based on what I had available. I suggest serving with fresh sliced tomatoes. Good luck.
suziqcu
July 13, 2013
The summer squash I used was just picked and excellent. I used some the next day with another recipe and it was great. I'm sure if I'd left off the anchovies as did you, it wouldn't have been bitter. I had organic capers, recent.y purchased...they may also have contributed to the bitterness, but I think it was the anchovies.
viblanco
July 13, 2013
Ah. Well, I'm glad you got to enjoy your remaining squash the next day in another dish. :)
Pegeen
September 2, 2012
Thank you for a new squash recipe. Made this a few times, everyone loves it. Use food processor not mortar and pestle. As others here said, needs much less oil about half. If I don't have time, also use Panko crumbs and leave out anchovies and jalapenos (maybe substitute red pepper flakes if you want the spicy accent?). Tasted fine without those ingredients. I think the freshness of the squash and herbs matters but mostly using fresh herbs if you can get your hands on them. Refrigerated leftovers were very good.
queenoftarts
June 3, 2012
This was a great addition to a meal I prepared a few nights ago. It was a bit labor intensive, moreso than similar recipes I make, but very tasty. I would use less oil the next time and would not be afraid to fiddle with the recipe by adding other ingredients. BTW, it tasted even better the next day for lunch, cold.
ladylinks
February 29, 2012
Hmmm...this is making my mouth water. I'm thinking of trying this, and incorporating homemade chicken sausage while roasting it in the oven. I'll give it a whirl and let you know how it turns out!
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