Cheesy sausage and zucchini casserole (recipe).

Casseroles are such wonderful comfort food, especially in these wintery months. This recipe is one that I have made several times this winter; it's easy, it's hearty, and it's a whole meal in one dish. I came up with the recipe in the fall when we had an overabundance of summer squash to use up (from the farmers market).

This makes enough for three to four people, but it is easy to double or even triple the recipe. Just make sure to bake it a little bit longer if you multiply the recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb link sausage (you can use precooked or raw; if you use raw, it's easier to slice when partially frozen)

1lb potatoes

2 zucchini or summer squash (medium sized; about 8" long)

1 onion (optional - I forgot to put them in this time)

2 cups grated cheese (anything that melts well, I used colby jack this time)

Salt & pepper

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

2) Thinly slice the potatoes, sausage, summer squash, and onion.

3) Layer the ingredients into the casserole dish; add salt and pepper to the layers as you go. First a layer of potatoes, then onions (if you didn't forget them, like me!), then sausage, then summer squash, then cheese; repeat the layering process until you reach the top of your casserole dish. 

4) For the top layer, use the potato, sausage, and zucchini to make a pattern. Here I did stripes, but circles are great too. Cover with tin foil

5) Bake for approximately 45 minutes; the potatoes should be soft, and the sausage should be completely cooked through. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, and return to the oven until golden brown (another 10 to 15 minutes). Remove from oven, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: You can also just mix all of the ingredients together and toss them into the casserole dish. It doesn't look as pretty when you serve it, but it still tastes good!