Crunchy Summer Vegetable Bake
Summertime, and the farmers markets and produce aisles are filled with fresh vegetables both familiar and new. My Crunchy Summer Vegetable Bake is perfect for a quick, easy side dish using the most popular of summertime veggies. This bake is so delicious, it will have everyone going back for seconds! I personally favor zucchinis, yellow squash, tomatoes and even eggplant. Choose a juicy/quick cooking vegetable, slice, top it with my Cheesy, Garlicky Bread Crumb Topping and bake. So simple! And it definitely elevates your vegetable game.
Include fresh basil on the tomatoes if you like, or try oregano with eggplant (with eggplant, salt it first to draw out excess moisture), thyme with zucchini and other squashes.
Notes and tips:
- The thinner you slice the vegetables the faster they will cook. Try to get each slice 1/8" to 1/4" thick. The tomatoes can be a little thicker.
- You can use just about any kind of summer squash. (If it's a large squash, use a vegetable peeler first to get rid of any tough rind. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and slice what remains.)
- My favorite combo is zucchinis, tomatoes and yellow crookneck squash!
Description
So many fresh veggies! Here's a way to get even meat and potato lovers to enjoy summer's bounty.
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Onion (sliced thin)
- 2 pounds Zucchinis (sliced thin)
- 3 Large Tomatoes ((about 1.5 lbs.) sliced medium)
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme (or other herb, optional)
- 1/2 cup Mozarella Cheese (shredded)
- 2 cups Cheesy Garlicky Bread Crumb Topping
Instructions
Prepare a shallow baking dish with vegetable spray. Preheat the oven to 425 ° F
- Cover bottom of the baking dish with onion slices.
- Place sliced vegetables in the baking dish on top of the onion, being careful to lay the slices in a single, overlapping layer.Try to keep each vegetable distinct in the baking dish. Rows work very well and bake up beautifully.
Sprinkle your choice of herbs and the Mozzarella cheese evenly over the vegetables.
- Top generously with the bread crumb topping.
- Bake for 1/2 hour or until topping browns and sides are bubbling.
Serve immediately.
