Zucchini, Tomato & Mozzarella Casserole

September 14, 2017 Leave a Comment

Zucchini, Tomato and Mozzarella Casserole

This is a super easy, comforting side dish, perfect for all those zucchini and tomatoes over-flowing your garden! I adapted the recipe from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen, she used halved zucchini with Gouda cheese, I sliced mine and used Mozzarella. There are endless ways you can make this dish but the spices in the recipe below really hit the spot with me! You could easily add your favorite cooked protein to the layers to create a complete meal, this particular recipe would be great with a spicy Italian sausage.

Zucchini, Tomato & Mozzarella Casserole

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients
  • 2 medium zucchini, sliced length-wise (10-12 slices total)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced (18 slices total)
  • salt
  • 3 Tbsp ghee or butter, melted (olive or avocado oil would be good too)
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp dry Italian seasoning
  • ¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
  • 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs (I used Ian’s)
  • 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tsp dry basil
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F and spray an 8×8 glass dish with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter/oil.
  2. Place the tomato slices on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Gently press another paper towel on top and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into ¼” slices to yield 5-6 per zucchini.
  4. Mix 2 Tbsp melted ghee/oil with the garlic salt, onion powder, dry Italian seasoning and black pepper.
  5. Place one layer of zucchini in the bottom of the casserole dish. Brush the tops of the zucchini lightly with the seasoned ghee/oil. Place a layer of tomatoes on top of the zucchini.
  6. Sprinkle with ½ of the mozzarella cheese.
  7. Repeat the layers of zucchini (brushed with seasoned ghee/oil), tomato and remaining mozzarella cheese.
  8. Toss the panko breadcrumbs, dry basil and grated Parmesan cheese with the remaining 1 Tbsp of ghee/oil and sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese, lightly pressing down.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
  10. Enjoy!
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Spicy Stuffed Poblano Peppers

March 8, 2014 Leave a Comment

photo 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 large poblano chiles
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 Serrano pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 ⁄8 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 6 oz. grated sharp Cheddar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Slit the chiles from stem to tip and carefully remove the seeds, leaving the stems intact.  Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Purée the tomatoes, onion, garlic, Serrano, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a food processor or high-speed blender. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the purée and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture looks thick and pulpy, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the chicken and quinoa, and then half of the cheese, the cilantro, and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Divide the filling evenly among the peppers.

Place the stuffed peppers into a 9×13 glass baking dish, pour about 1/2″ of water in the bottom of the baking dish and cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until peppers are tender.  Remove the foil and top the peppers with the remaining 3 oz. of cheese…bake until golden and bubbly.

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Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

May 1, 2013 15 Comments

Sweet potato stuffed with bacon, onion, mushrooms and spinach.

I LOVE sweet potatoes, I would probably eat them at every meal if I could.  I like them baked, fried or sautéed, diced, sliced or even pureed but I am really loving them stuffed!  The recipe and photo shown here is currently my favorite way to stuff them but the possibilities are endless (think any great pizza toppings and you’re set!), you can top them with anything you like and customize them to meet your dietary needs.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 8 to 10 oz each and scrubbed clean
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 ounces cheese (I like to use raw Monterrey Jack)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake on the middle oven rack.
  2. Bake until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife and cooked through, about 45-60 minutes depending on size. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.
  3. While the sweet potatoes are baking, make the topping. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy.  Remove from pan, cool and crumble.  Add the mushroom and onion to the pan with the bacon drippings and saute until tender, add spinach and cook until wilted.  Remove from heat.
  4. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise to expose cooked insides, slightly press down the meat of the potato to flatten.  Divide the vegetable mixture evenly between the four halves, top with cheese and crumbled bacon and place under the broiler until melted.  Finally, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  5. Serve half a stuffed potato as a side dish or a whole one with a mixed green salad as a meal.

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