Through charred-ramp salad and whole stuffed cabbage, the James Beard Award–winning chef listens to her ingredients.

Ladle a little of the squash and sauce mix, followed by three sheets to cover the sauce. This is where you decide how many other goodies you want in your dish.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise, discard the seeds and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. (Alternatively, peel and cut the squash into chunks and roast until tender.) ...

This Jan. 12, 2015 photo shows a sausage and butternut squash personal lasagna, in Concord, N.H. Personal lasagnas are easy to assemble, cook faster than a whole lasagna and look great on the plate.

Spread 1 cup béchamel sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles (cutting to fit if necessary). Add one-third of cheese mixture, a layer of squash rounds, and ...

Layer a 9/13 baking dish with alternate layers of zucchini, sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, and basil, using the zucchini as you would noodles. You should have enough for 3 layers.

This is an extremely rich dish, nothing more than béchamel and pasta and squash. It can serve as an appetizer or a main for the vegetarians in the crowd.

Summer squash season is just around the corner, and as usual, zucchini is the leader of the pack. This sweet summertime ...