Zucchini AuGratin

These holiday weekends totally interrupt my regularly scheduled progr---er blogging time ... but they also lead to more recipes with all the cookouts and parties we go to. Usually, I am nominated to bring desserts, but on occasion I do make other things. This zucchini dish is one such thing.(Check in on the next two posts for two great strawberry recipes!)

Zucchini is actually one of the vegetables my husband usually likes, but he doesn't want to like it because it is a vegetable. Eating vegetables is a huge step coming from the guy who ate Hershey bars coated with peanut butter almost every night for dinner before we were married!

This recipe was inspired by Au Gratin potatoes of course, but I used zucchini instead so it would be a little healthier. I think it turned out great, but next time I will not saute so long because I like my zucchini to be a little more firm.  I loved the topping! Sorry, I don't know where this recipe came from. I found it written on a sheet of paper with no reference.

3 Tbl butter
2 tsp onion powder
2 zucchini (about 1-lb) sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg (secret ingredient!)
1 Tbl flour
1/2 c hot milk
3/4 c bread crumbs (I used crushed Ritz crackers)
3/4 c grated sharp Cheddar or Gruyere cheese

• Preheat oven to 400*
• Melt butter. Add onion powder and zucchini. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then cook 5 more minutes (Instead of cooking in this step, next time I would just add these ingredients, and do the cooking in the next step so the zucchini will stay firm)
• Stir in flour. Add milk and cook on low until a sauce is formed.
• Pour into an 8x8 baking dish.
• Combine bread crumbs (crackers) and cheese and sprinkle on top. 
• Dot with 1/2 Tbl butter cut into small bits.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.