Summer gardens are delivering their bounty around this time, and gardeners might be looking for new ways to prepare the produce they’re picking daily. Zucchini and yellow squash are among the big producers in local gardens. Below are recipes to turn these garden staples into main dish super stars. 
Zucchini Lasagna
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Ingredients
3 large zucchini
1 lb. ground beef, 93% lean
16 oz ricotta cheese, part skim
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups mozzarella cheese, part skim, shredded
24-ounce jar marinara sauce
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, minced (or ½ tsp garlic powder)
½ tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Trim both ends off the zucchini.
Use a mandolin, wide-edge cheese grater, vegetable peeler, or knife to cut the zucchini into 1/8-inch slices. Sprinkle salt over the slices, then lay them out on paper towels to drain. Leave for at least 10 minutes.
Pat the tops of the zucchini slices with paper towels until dry (this will prevent the lasagna from being too watery).
While the zucchini is resting, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking the meat up with a spatula, until beef is browned and cooked through.
Add the onion and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer; cook for 5 minutes.
Place the ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, egg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 2 or 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil.
Place 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of the dish. Add 1/3 of the zucchini slices on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the zucchini then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, then let stand for 5-7 minutes. Cut into slices, then serve.
Optional: Skip the ground beef for a vegetarian version or substitute ground turkey or Italian sausage.
Zucchini Pancakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound zucchini, shredded with cheese grater (about 2 cups packed after straining water)
½ cup red onion, chopped small
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
½ cup whole wheat or almond flour (if using almond flour, use 1 extra egg)
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Sour cream and extra red onion for topping
Instructions
Shred zucchini with a cheese grater into hashbrown-sized pieces. Combine zucchini and salt in a large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Place zucchini in strainer and press firmly to remove water.
Combine zucchini, red onion, Parmesan cheese, flour, egg, and pepper.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Using ¼ cup zucchini mixture per pancake, drop zucchini mixture onto hot skillet, leaving 2-3 inches between mounds. Flatten mounds to about ½ in thickness.
Cook 4 minutes until golden brown, carefully turning over once during cooking. This is delicious with sour cream and red onion, or Mediterranean-style with hummus and tzatziki sauce and shredded lettuce.
Crispy, Cheesy Squash Rounds
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 Summer Squash
1 tsp oil or cooking spray
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Pepper, or Montreal Chicken/Steak Seasoning, Adobo, Creole Seasoning, etc.
Pinch of salt (unless you are using a salted seasoning blend)
Instructions
Place an oven rack in the center position of the oven. Preheat to 425F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper with a little bit of oil or cooking spray.
Cut summer squash into ¼-inch rounds (you can also cut into wedges or chunks). Arrange them on the baking sheet with little-to-no space between them.
Sprinkle evenly with seasonings and grated parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese melts and turns a light golden brown. If you want to speed up the browning, you can use the broil setting on your oven for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking.
Source: Farm to you West Virginia (farmtoyouwv.org)
