Foodie Fridays: Cheesy Yellow Squash Mash "Polenta" with Roasted Tomatoes, Pesto, and Fried Halloumi

I wish I could have come up with a shorter name for this recipe, but despite the cumbersome moniker this main dish is relatively easy to make and is really tasty!  My original inspiration was a recipe for Cherry Tomato Pesto Polenta with Fried Halloumi from the Half Baked Harvest website.  For some reason I cannot remember, I decided to buy a block of halloumi cheese and was looking for a way to use it.  While I liked the idea of serving this cheese with polenta, I happened to notice the overabundance of yellow squash from my garden one day and had a sudden brainwave moment - the cheesy yellow squash mash recipe that I often make to use up yellow squash was quite similar in taste to polenta and would be a perfect substitute!  Also, when I cook fresh tomatoes I prefer to roast rather than sauté them, so I decided to roast a bunch of small tomatoes from my garden for this recipe.  The only things that stayed the same from the inspiration recipe were the pesto and the fried halloumi cheese!

If you are starting from scratch this recipe may seem overly complicated, but I often make large batches of both the yellow squash mash and the roasted tomatoes to use up the abundant produce from my small vegetable garden, and I always have refrigerated store-bought pesto in the fridge, so it was quite easy for me to pull this recipe together quickly.  The substitution of the yellow squash for polenta was so successful that I will be looking for other ways to use this trick - maybe replacing the grits in my husband's favorite shrimp and grits?  I will let you know how that turns out (and if my husband is still speaking to me if I do that to him!).

Cheesy Yellow Squash Mash "Polenta" with Roasted Tomatoes, Pesto, and Fried Halloumi

6-8 medium yellow squash, cut into 1-inch chunks*
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. shredded Cheddar
1/2 C. grated Parmesan
2 T. pesto (plus more for garnish)
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
4 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
5 sprigs fresh thyme (or other fresh herbs)
1 T. garlic-infused oil
8 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices

Place the squash into a 4-quart stock pot and fill the pot about two-thirds full with water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 20-30 minutes depending on the size and toughness of the squash.

Remove from the heat and drain thoroughly in a colander.  Return the squash to the pot and add the salt.  Using an immersion blender, purée the squash until smooth.  Add the cheese and pesto and stir until the cheese melts completely.

While the squash is boiling, line a rimmed baking sheet or pan with foil and/or coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil (about 1 T.).  Add the tomatoes in a single layer.  Season with salt.  Place the thyme springs over the top and drizzle with 2 T. olive oil plus the garlic-infused oil.  Roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and discard the thyme.

Heat the remaining 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the halloumi cheese and cook until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet.

To assemble, divide the squash mash among 4 bowls.  Top each bowl with roasted tomatoes and fried halloumi cheese slices.  Warm the pesto and drizzle over the top of the cheese slices.  Serves 4.