Zucchini Gratin

Between our house being on the market and crazy / busy summer, we have NOT been making many dinners (let alone trying new stuff!)  :(  This weekend we were working on house stuff, so we hit up the grocery store and made hearty and yummy meals!!!  This was pretty good....not my favorite side dish, but a different way to eat zucchinis!  It went really good with steaks!!

Servings: 6 side-dish

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
1lb yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (about 3 large)
2lbs zucchini and/or yellow squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 zucchini)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons Italian style bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large sauté pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned.  As the onions are cooking, stir them occasionally and work on prepping the other ingredients.

Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and garlic and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, stirring often. Whisk flour into the milk and add to pan, turning up heat slightly just until milk heats and starts bubbling.  Then cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it thickens and makes a sauce. Pour the zucchini mixture, and all the sauce into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish (or something close to that).

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top (place your finger over the opening of the bottle to make it easier to just drizzle a little) and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.  Cool for a few minutes before serving.