Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Zucchini and Tomato Casserole

Zucchinis are upon us. Big or small and always green, every farm stand and my weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) pickup are loaded with them. I have to tell you, I've always hated zucchini. To me, they taste like algae, but my husband adores them and baby girl isn't anti either. Plus, I've been trying to use up everything I buy so as not to waste money, contribute excess trash to landfills or throw away veggies the farmers have worked so hard to grow. Them's the breaks of a CSA, no?

So, I've been sucking it up, attempting to disguise zucchini as best I can with garlic and olive oil and lemon juice. And then, three weeks ago, when faced with several zucchini and a few tomatoes, I decided to make a casserole. The word casserole generally leads me to think warm, cozy, heavy and meant for cold weather, but this one has greatly expanded my internal definition. As a whole, this casserole is bright, refreshing, tangy, light and soothing. The zucchini? A wonderful addition in structure, texture, and even taste. Zucchini and me, after years of turmoil, have turned a corner.

PS - Did I mention it takes about 5 minutes to assemble and 30 minutes in the oven? Even a mommy with a screaming 20 month old tugging at her leg while yelling, "Up!! Up!!" can make it. Sound familiar?

Zucchini and Tomato Casserole
(Layers of local tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and thyme make this a creative way to take advantage of Summer's bounty.)

What You'll Need:
2 large tomatoes sliced in half inch rings
2-3 small zucchini sliced lengthwise in quarter inch strips
3 large garlic cloves sliced thinly
10 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
1 c. market cheese like Gouda or Gruyere grated on the large side of your box grater
1/3 c. whole wheat bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

In a casserole dish lay down the strips of zucchini so that they touch each other and cover the bottom. Spread out the thyme sprigs evenly on top of the zucchini. Follow suit with the garlic. Place the tomato slice on top so that they are touching each other and cover the dish. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Then gently scatter the cheese over the top followed by the breadcrumbs. Bake until the cheese is melted, the crust is golden brown and you see a bit of bubbling from the veggies - About 20 minutes.

Approximate Dinner Cost
• Groceries - $6.00
• Leftovers – We got 6 servings out of this for $1.00 a serving.

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19 comments:

  1. I want to dive into that casserole. I love that you can make slow food in a flash, with baby girl by your side! I love cooked tomatoes, so i have to try this one. yum yum yum.

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  2. My mom makes something very similar to this, except she includes sauteed onion and adds beef broth. She drains the beef broth out before serving. Looks yummy! I've got lots of zukes to use up too, so I'm going to give yours a try.

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  3. Can't wait to try this casserole! I love zucchini, a really misunderstood vegetable. Did you know the zucchini in France melts more easily into the casserole sauce? I would make a cheese/zucchini casserole in France once a week, before leaving for my radio job in Paris. Hubby would pop it in the oven. Now I cannot get my kids to eat zucchini as adults, having overdosed during childhood!

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  4. Yum! I'll try this zuke recipe soon.

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  5. Oh yum! I love zukes, tomatos and cheese. I'm headed to the farmer's market NOW to make it tonight! Yummy and cheap is the best, since I'm an onion freak I may add sauteed sweet onions.

    www.yourchicagoonthecheap.com

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  6. I'm not really a zucchini lover myself but I have found a few ways to make it palatable. The old stand by is zucchini bread. Lately I've been grating zucchini and adding it to marinara sauce right after the onions get a bit soft. You can't tell it's zucchini and it gives the sauce a nice consistency (almost like meat). My kids love it, as long as I don't tell them what it is!

    Not sure I'll be ready to make this casserole any time soon but if it helped you turn a zucchini corner, maybe I should!

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  7. Bless you. I'm overrun with zucchini right now and this looks fab - and easy!

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  9. Wow this looks like a great dish! My neighbors keep giving me their zucchinis. it's nice to know what to do with them!

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  10. This looks great. I like just about every vegetable, but zucchini, eh. I guess I don't know quite what to do with it. Now I will definitely pick some up and whip this easy dish right up - thanks!

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  11. Sounds yummy! I would love this. Unfortunately, still probably won't make the hubby want to eat zucchini. LOL I think I should make this for my lunches though!

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  12. Thanks everyone for the amazing comments!!!

    Tastyeatsathome, this will make a great lunch:) I reserve certain dishes for my lunches too since when the hubby isn't a fan...

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  13. I'm going to try a mini version of this tomorrow for my MIL and I for lunch :)

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  14. Peggy dear, I am using a small casserole, do you think 500 degrees for 20 minutes will be too long? What size pan did you use?

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  15. Hmmm, I think I'd turn the heat down to 400 just to be safe. It will need at least twenty minutes to brown and for the juices to bubble up.

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  16. Thanks Peggy! i popped it in the oven at 524 and set the timer for 20 minutes. I'll keep an eye on it and see how it does :)

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  17. Peggy Peggy Peggy these are amazing! I made a small casserole, probably 2 qt, with 2.5 large slices of a fat zucchini, 1 huge tomato cut up, etc. I used mozarella as that's what I had and my mother in law and I ate the whole thing! Absolutely delicious!

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  18. I added this to my Friday Recipes post which featured zucchini, thanks! You can see it here ;) http://oldtips.blogspot.com/2009/08/friday-recipes-zucchini.html

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