Asparagus Squash Gratin
Gluten Free Living – 2014
Asparagus Squash Gratin is a lovely casserole that was born out of necessity. A few weeks ago when the ice storms blew through North Texas and everyone was without power for days, we had some friends over for a hot meal because they were without power and tired of eating cold food.
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I made up Tortilla Casserole which was a new recipe I had never tried before, and my delicious Mandarin Spinach Salad. I hadn’t grocery shopped in awhile so I had to go with what was on hand because I wasn’t going to get out on icy roads. It was a crazy time.
We would have had them stay with us but we were having septic problems so I could offer them a hot meal but not a hot shower! Thankfully, their power is restored and our septic has been pumped and is back to normal.
As I was preparing the meal I felt like we should have something else on the menu so I checked out my garage freezers to see if I could throw something together. I found a package of frozen yellow squash, frozen zucchini, and frozen asparagus spears and decided to start with that. I added some red onion and then made a delicious cream sauce with fontina cheese. The taste was absolutely amazing. If you have other garden veggies you want to use up (carrots, mushrooms, celery, leeks, bell peppers all come to mind) then this would be a great recipe to use those in as well.
I have to admit Fontina cheese is becoming my cheese of choice for au gratin recipes. It has such a terrific flavor. I buy it almost whenever I see it in the store and freeze it for whenever I need it. It sure came in handy for making this recipe.
I didn’t have any fresh veggies on hand because I hadn’t wanted to get out on the roads for several days (yes, I’m a chicken when it comes to driving on icy roads even though we lived in New England for several years and I “learned” how to drive on ice and snow–sort of.) So, I was grateful for having stocked my freezer with some frozen veggies that needed to be used up anyway and had ingredients on hand to make a cheese sauce.
I really loved the flavors of Asparagus Squash Gratin and will use this sauce again with other veggies. If you’re looking for ways to use up garden produce like squash, zucchini, carrots, or asparagus then I can certainly recommend this casserole. I made this recipe gluten free but regular flour will work as well. Asparagus Squash Gratin was delectable. I really loved the way this casserole turned out and if you give it a try, I think you will, too.
When I initially posted this recipe in January 2014, I had my Canon camera on hand, but because I was making this casserole so late at night I used my regular iPhone. The pictures were blurry and certainly not as pleasing as I would have liked. I recently remade this recipe (December 2016) for a Sunday school class Christmas party. I added carrots and used all fresh veggies this time. I couldn’t find plain fontina cheese so I used a six-cheese Italian blend instead. It was mouthwatering.
Several of the folks at the party loved the combination of veggies and the flavors of the sauce. This casserole is a great one to serve company. I highly recommend it for holiday meals, too. It’s so hearty and filling you can easily make this for a meatless Monday. It’s such a versatile recipe and certainly one you can make in the summer if you have a lot of garden produce on hand. The basil-thyme cream sauce is tasty and delightful. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
Asparagus Squash Gratin is a wonderful casserole for cold winter nights!
This gluten free recipe is a great way to use up leftover veggies or abundant garden veggies.
Even the leftovers were delicious.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients. I do not recommend using Pamela’s gluten free baking mixes as the texture and flavor is off. But it was the only product readily available at the time. Bob’s Red Mill or even Walmart’s Great Value brand of gluten free flour is better.
In a large mixing bowl combine fresh asparagus, yellow squash, zucchini and partially cooked carrots. Add diced red onions and garlic.
Spray a 9×13″ glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place vegetables into dish.
To make the sauce: Place butter, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and basil in a saucepan over medium heat.
After the butter melts add gluten free flour. Whisk to combine.
Add half-and-half cream and whisk to incorporate.
I usually add about 1/8 cup at a time, whisking after each addition and continue to work in all of the cream.
Add fontina cheese or six cheese Italian blend. Continue heating until mixture thickens.
Pour sauce over top of veggies in dish. Cover with foil.
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with additional fresh thyme or basil, if desired.
I didn’t want to overcook the asparagus. This was just about right.
Here’s a serving of Asparagus Squash Gratin reheated. The sauce thickens a little more and is fantastic!
Here’s the recipe.
ASPARAGUS SQUASH GRATIN
(My own concoction)
Asparagus and Squash Gratin
Equipment
- 1 microwaveable bowl to microwave carrots
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 9x13" glass baking dish
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 grater if cheese is not previously grated or shredded
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow squash sliced
- 2 large zucchini sliced
- 2 bundles asparagus spears
- 1/3 cup red onion diced
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tbsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour or substitute regular all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup fontina cheese or six-cheese Italian blend: mozzarella, Asiago, Romano, Provolone, Fontina & Parmesan cheeses
- 8 oz. carrot chips
- 1 tsp. fresh basil or thyme, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Microwave carrots about 5 minutes on high.
- Place squash, zucchini, partially cooked carrots, red onion, garlic and asparagus in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir well to combine.
- Pour ingredients into a 9x13” glass baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter.
- Add parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
- Stir in flour with a whisk.
- Add half-and-half about ¼ cup at a time until all is used; then add cream.
- Add cheese and stir to combine.
- Pour over veggies in dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes to an hour or until veggies are fork tender.
- Garnish with fresh basil or thyme before serving.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 16-oz. frozen, sliced yellow squash (or use fresh)
- 16-oz. frozen, sliced zucchini (or use fresh)
- 12-oz. frozen asparagus spears (or use fresh)
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- ½ stick butter
- 1 heaping tbsp. minced garlic from a jar
- 1 tbsp. parsley
- 1 tbsp. basil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill potato flour or other gluten free flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup Fontina cheese
- Place squash, zucchini and asparagus in a 9×13” glass baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Sprinkle red onion over top.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter.
- Add garlic, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
- Stir in flour with a whisk.
- Add cream about ¼ cup at a time until all is used.
- Add half and half and cheese and stir to combine.
- Pour over veggies in dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes to an hour or until veggies are fork tender.
Asparagus Squash Gratin turned out to be quite tasty for a recipe that was whipped up on the fly!
Asparagus Squash Gratin is a yummy casserole I couldn’t get enough of.
I’m salivating looking at the pictures again!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Asparagus and Squash Gratin
Equipment
- 1 microwaveable bowl to microwave carrots
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 9×13" glass baking dish
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 grater if cheese is not previously grated or shredded
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow squash sliced
- 2 large zucchini sliced
- 2 bundles asparagus spears
- 1/3 cup red onion diced
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tbsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour or substitute regular all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup fontina cheese or six-cheese Italian blend: mozzarella, Asiago, Romano, Provolone, Fontina & Parmesan cheeses
- 8 oz. carrot chips
- 1 tsp. fresh basil or thyme, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Microwave carrots about 5 minutes on high.
- Place squash, zucchini, partially cooked carrots, red onion, garlic and asparagus in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir well to combine.
- Pour ingredients into a 9×13” glass baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter.
- Add parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
- Stir in flour with a whisk.
- Add half-and-half about ¼ cup at a time until all is used; then add cream.
- Add cheese and stir to combine.
- Pour over veggies in dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes to an hour or until veggies are fork tender.
- Garnish with fresh basil or thyme before serving.
3 Comments
Holiday Casseroles and Side Dishes – Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen
April 19, 2016 at 6:04 pm
[…] Asparagus & Squash Gratin […]
Aggie
December 23, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Can the Asparagus & zucchini Gratin be made & cooked the night before & just warmed before next days dinner?
Teresa
December 24, 2020 at 5:12 am
Hi, Aggie. Yes, you can certainly do that. Or you can make it up to the point where you bake it. Refrigerate it, then bake it like before. You will probably have to add additional time if you have multiple things in the oven or if the casserole is cold.