Country Casserole Recipes Recipe For Zucchini Recipe For Zucchini

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook zucchini in small amount of water until barely tender, about 5 minutes Drain and cool.
• Combine eggs, milk, cheese, salt, baking powder and flour.
• Stir zucchini into egg mixture.
• Place in buttered casserole.
• Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with butter.
• Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a small bowl combine stuffing and butter. In a separate bowl combine zucchini, carrots, onion, soup and sour cream. Mix in 1/2 of the stuffing mixture, then spread into a 9x12 inch casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining stuffing on top.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put a large colander inside a large bowl.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add one-third of the zucchini to the skillet, arrange in a single later and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the zucchini begins to soften and is golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared colander. Repeat to cook remaining zucchini in 2 more batches, using 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkling with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper for each batch. Transfer each batch to the colander.
• Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same skillet along with the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let cool for 5 minutes, then fold into the zucchini. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Whisk together the sour cream, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a large bowl. Fold in the Cheddar, parsley and Italian seasoning. Pour over the zucchini mixture, making sure that some of the egg mixture sinks down to the bottom.
• Microwave the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium bowl until melted. Fold in the cornflakes and hot sauce. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake until the eggs are set and the cornflakes are deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

COUNTRY SQUASH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 7-inch casserole dish.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the bell pepper, onion, zucchini, squash, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Use more broth if needed to keep the mixture moist. Remove the vegetables from the heat, and stir in the condensed mushroom soup, sour cream, and 3/4 of the stuffing mix; pour into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining stuffing mix over top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned on top, about 30 minutes.

ZUCCHINI GARDEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute zucchini in oil until crisp-tender. Arrange half of the zucchini in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the tomatoes. , In a large bowl, combine the rice, green pepper, onion, parsley, and seasonings. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Stir in tomato sauce. Spoon over tomato layer. Top with remaining tomatoes and zucchini., Cover and bake at 375° for 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

CHEESY ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Slice the zucchini. Peel and slice the tomatoes. Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
• Saute the sliced zucchini and onions in the olive oil until soft.
• In a blender or with a mixer, whip the cottage cheese with the basil, oregano, and pepper.
• Alternate layers of zucchini, cottage cheese, and tomato slices. Top with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

ZUCCHINI AND COUNTRY BREAD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the zucchini, slice off the stems, and trim the blossom ends. With a sharp long-bladed knife (or a mandoline if you have one) cut very thin lengthwise slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Put them in a large bowl, sprinkle over them the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the 2 tablespoons of oil, and toss to coat the slices with the seasonings.
• Assembling the Lasagna
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°. Cut the crusts off the bread slices. If they are soft and fresh, you can dry the slices briefly in the oven, but don't let them get crisp or brown.
• Butter the bottom and sides of the baking pan generously. Spread a cup of the tomato sauce in a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Cover the bottom with a single layer of bread slices. Trim the slices and cut them in pieces so they fit close together and lie flat (but you don't have to fill every small crack or hole). Spoon about 2 cups of sauce onto the bread and spread it evenly.
• Make a layer of zucchini (or sautéed eggplant), using half the slices. You can lay them crosswise or lengthwise in the pan, whichever way fits best. Overlap the slices as necessary to make an even layer that completely covers the sauce. Press down gently to condense the lasagna and make more room in the pan, then sprinkle 1 cup of grated cheese evenly over the top.
• Now repeat the layering: Arrange another layer of bread slices and trimmed pieces. Cover the bread with 2 more cups of sauce, spread evenly. Lay out the rest of the zucchini (or eggplant) slices in an overlapping layer. Spread the remaining tomato sauce, about a cup, in a thin layer. Sprinkle another cup of cheese (or more!) in a generous layer over the top of the lasagna.
• Baking the Lasagna
• Cut a sheet of aluminum foil about 2 feet long-preferably from a wide roll of heavy-duty foil. Press the foil so it hugs the sides of the pan and bend it to make a "tent" over the lasagna that doesn't touch the surface anywhere.
• Bake the lasagna covered for about 45 minutes, giving the zucchini plenty of time to cook. Remove the pan from the oven; carefully unfold the foil from the sides of the pan and lift it off completely. Don't get burned by the pan or the steam that is released-keep your face and hands out of the way. And don't let the foil mess up the cheesy topping! (In a glass casserole, you should be able to see the sauce bubbling up around the sides of the pan.)
• Return the lasagna to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is deep golden-brown. Let the casserole settle for a few minutes before serving (it will stay hot for some time). Cut in squares or rectangles of whatever size you like, and lift out individual pieces with an angled spatula.
• The Best Bread For Country Bread Lasagna
• A hearty European-style chewy wheat bread, made with all white or white and whole-grain flour, is best for these savory lasagne. Cut the slices yourself and let them dry a bit. Day-old (or briefly oven-dried) 1/2-inch slices will soak up lots of vegetable juices and give the lasagna a marvelous texture. Don't get a skinny or low loaf with lots of crust, though-like a baguette or ciabatta-since the crust is trimmed away. Instead get a lofty bread-a large round or oval loaf-for big slices with lots of "insides."
• Eggplant and Country Bread Lasagna
• Trim the stem and bottom ends of the eggplants. Peel off all the skin if it is tough, or, with tender eggplant, remove ribbons of peel in a striped pattern (see box, page 254).
• With a sharp chef's knife, cut all the eggplant lengthwise into slices, about 1/3 inch thick. Toss a few slices at a time in the flour (in a large bowl or on a tray) to coat completely on both sides; shake off the excess and pile in another bowl or tray.
• Pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of the canola oil into the skillet and tilt it so the entire bottom is coated with a thin film of oil. Set the pan over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
• Lay a batch of eggplant slices in the pan with plenty of space between them. You want to brown the pieces quickly, with minimal oil, so keep the heat up but don't let the oil smoke or the vegetables burn. Fry the slices for about 2 minutes, until lightly colored on the underside, then flip them over and fry 2 minutes on the second side. Drain the slices on sheets of paper towel and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt while hot.
• Brown the remaining floured eggplant in batches, adding oil to the pan as needed. Remove to paper towels and salt them right away, using about 1/2 teaspoon for all the slices.
• Assemble and bake the lasagna as in the main recipe.
• To Salt or Not to Salt the Water
• I always used to boil vegetables in salted water. But recently I started salting certain vegetables after they were cooked, tossing them immediately after draining with medium-coarse salt, while they were still steaming hot, and I found I liked it. Does it make that much difference? Indeed it does. Instead of making a saline solution out of the boiling water that permeates the vegetable throughout, salting later allows the vegetable to retain its pure vegetable flavor, and then the sprinkled salt adds another dimension of flavor by seeping in gently while it is still hot. The vegetables that best respond to this method are string beans, broccoli, and zucchini. But I find it also true of cabbage, beets, chard, and other greens.