I love love love this recipe, and have made it several times a year since Deb Perelman published it (pro tip: when your friends are all popping out babies, you can be popping these out for their respective freezers). And yet, I always make it with zucchini only, so in my mind it is called "Zucchini Pasta Bake." But in reality it is called herbed summer squash pasta bake, so sometimes I have a hard time finding it in my dropbox. I mean, maybe I'm tired this week. Or maybe I could remember what the recipe is called. Whatever.

Planning!

I've been craving freshness so I really wanted to make this happen this week. I knew, though, that I'd have leftover mozzarella, and couldn't figure out what to do with it. In the end, I decided to doublebatch it and freeze half. What kind of nonsensically insane person double-batches during tech? Me. I guess it rebalances the stupidly quick sheetpan chicken I also made this week.

I really wanted this pasta bake, is what I'm saying.

Here's the nutritional breakdown from Fitbit...

Groceries I had on hand...

• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• lemon
• milk
• flour
• parsley (from the sheetpan chicken!)
• butter
• red pepper flakes

Groceries I had to buy...

• zucchini (2.04lb @ $1.79/lb = $3.65)
• pasta - I love using campanelle for this recipe! ($1.25)
• mozzarella ($4.49)
• parmesan ($12.99)
• scallions (1bunch @ 3 for $1.99 = $.67)
• basil ($1.29)

Total monies spent for the entire recipe: $24.34

Total monies spent for each of these 8 meals....

$3.04 per meal

Cooking!

As I said, I make this a lot, and I follow the recipe fairly truly every time. So it was fry the zucchini with the red pepper flakes, then add the lemon juice (already having zested the lemon - great tip, Deb!). Then the fried aromatics and the lemon zest béchamel. Then the oven. Then portioning. Then licking the pan, obviously.

See why I make this so often? Fresh and lemony, easy as can be, and best yet - cheesy! All the yumminess!