What’s in Season: Zucchini Veggie Spiral

It is prime time zucchini season.  If you planted any in your garden or have been to a Farmer’s Market lately, of course you already knew this.  It seems like we always end up with an abundance of zucchini this time of year, so I’m always looking for new recipes.

You may have seen this one around the interwebs.  It layers zucchini, summer squash, potatoes and tomatoes in a beautiful spiral over a bed of onion and garlic, and then it all gets topped with cheese and baked.  It’s a creative new way of preparing zucchini, and quite delicious might I add.  The flavors of the onion and garlic get all infused with the veggies, and the juices from the tomatoes come out and make everything so sweet.  The roasted flavor makes everything taste a little bit caramelized and gives the dish such a rich depth of flavor.  The cheese gives it a perfect salty, slightly nutty finish that brings it all together.

The recipe calls for Roma tomatoes because they are a little less juicy.  If you just have regular tomatoes, that’s fine – I’d just remove a little of the juice before I put them in the casserole.  I also added sweet potato into the spiral because I love them and they have more nutrients than regular white potatoes.  If you don’t love them, though, you could use all white potatoes.

So when you’re staring at the loads of zucchini and tomatoes on your countertop thinking you’re tired of the same old thing, give this a try!

Zucchini Veggie Spiral

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium or 2 small zucchini
• 1 medium or 2 small yellow summer squash
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 1 small russet potato, peeled or unpeeled – your choice
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled or unpeeled – your choice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tsp of dried thyme)
• 1/2 cup of finely grated cheese (recommended: Parmesan, Asiago, or Pecorino)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes, until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Spread onion and garlic mixture in the bottom of a 2 or 2.5 quart casserole dish.  Slice the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and potatoes in 1/4 inch slices.  Alternate the veggies into a single layer spiral to cover the entire dish.  Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper, and thyme.  Spread the grated cheese over the top of everything.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is browned.

Enjoy!