So, I’ve been thinking, with the economy and all, what are you eating? It seems like my grocery bill (and the electric bill) are going through the roof! I am trying to find some recipes that make buying groceries a little easier. I have posted a few…spaghetti, lasagna, steak kabobs, but sometimes you want something different, or unique. With most of the meals that I make, the main dish is not too expensive…it’s the sides that cost!

Well, I have been experimenting and have come up with a few ideas for side dishes. These are low cost and will feed a lot of people—by a lot I mean I serve 5 people each night…sometimes more…and still have leftovers!  You can search this site and find some main dishes and a few sides that are economical. I hope to offer a more soon!

With this dish I must confess, I really do not like squash unless it is sliced thin and fried….or diced and placed into a casserole with a bunch of cheese! My husband does not like any squash or tomatoes–both of which are in this dish but when he tryed this he LOVED it. He now wants me to cook it all the time. My daughter-in-law cooked it for her family and forgot the tomatoes. Cooking it this way, for some reason, makes the squash not taste like squash and the tomatoes not taste like tomatoes. My daughter-in-law said that without the tomatoes the squash is still “squashy!” She also said that maybe she’ll add some diced chicken next time. Could be another idea!

Squash Bake

2 yellow squash or 1 squash and 1 zucchini—diced

3 strips bacon, diced and cooked….you will cook this with the onion

1 onion–sweet or regular–diced and cooked

1 large tomato–diced…or two small ones

1 tablespoon minced garlic

salt, pepper, maybe more garlic powder, Italian seasoning

shredded Parmesan cheese

Italian bread crumbs

olive oil

1/2 cup diced mushrooms

First of all, do not wash the mushrooms. Just wipe them with a damp paper towel–if not, they will soak up the water and not be any good. Dice the bacon and place into a oven safe pan and sautee. Now add the diced onion and cook until the onion is tender…about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, dice the squash. Once the bacon and onion are tender, add the squash then add salt and pepper. Stir well.

Now dice the tomatoes and mushrooms. after cooking for about 10 minutes, add the tomatoes, mushrooms and the garlic…stir and add a sprinkle more of salt and pepper. Stir well.  Now add the Italian seasonings. If the pan you are using is not oven safe, transfer everything to an oven safe dish. Add a generous amount of Parmesan cheese (shredded) and then a light sprinkle of Italian bread crumbs. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 or until the top is golden.

I hope you enjoy this dish. I have found it to be great with chicken or pork. The entire dish costs right at $2.00 which is great when you talk about feeding 5 people. That means 40 cents a person for a side dish. You can’t beat that. Enjoy!