Saturday, September 17, 2011

Easy summer vegetable casserole

For years, our family has enjoyed "Zucchini Casserole", a relaxed tian of layered vegetables. I typically used a slicer for the squash and onions, but the tomatoes need a knife, especially if they are nice and ripe. The dish cannot be easier to put together and always turns out delicious. Now who wouldn't want that in their cooking repertoire?

Zucchini Casserole
Serves 6

A quick and easy side dish for summer’s bounty, delicious with any grilled meat.

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet onion (Vidalia or other), thinly sliced
6 ripe medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 tbsp. assorted chopped herbs (parsley, basil, thyme)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup olive oil or 2 pats of butter diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium size-baking pan, layer zucchini, onion, yellow squash and tomato slices. Sprinkle with some of the Panko, cheese, herbs, garlic and pats of butter or drizzle of olive oil and salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. Continue layers until ingredients are used up, ending with tomatoes. Top with pats of butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven. Bake 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

NOTE: You can easily make this gluten-free and dairy free by eliminating the butter, substituting a vegan grated cheese and using gluten-free breadcrumbs.

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