Zucchini Tomato Gratin

I have to admit – I’m not a huge fan of zucchini. I bought it because I was in the mood to re-test some of my set ideas about which foods I wasn’t a big fan of. So I decided that the best way to assess my feelings would be to cook a dish where zucchini was the main focus. What 2 things made this cut? Zucchini Bread and a Gratin. I decided on the latter because the idea of a vegetable in a bread still weirds me out, even though most food blogs I visit have a zucchini bread recipe tucked away somewhere. Clearly it’s a favorite, so I don’t know why the idea of combining a dessert with a vegetable freaks me out?! So a gratin it was. Verdict: Would make it again, but better as a side dish rather than a main dish. (my version was also lighter on the cheese, so maybe that’s why it felt way lighter than a main dish)

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 2 tomatoes, sliced (preferably grape or tomatoes on the vine)
• 1 zucchini
• 1 clove of garlic, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 5-6 basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and oregano, to taste

Directions

1. Pour olive oil in a pan and heat. Saute some zucchini until it gets slightly tender. Remove the zucchini and saute some onions and garlic.

2. Coat a baking dish with olive oil. Place a layer of zucchini, followed by a layer of tomato. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese, oregano, sauted garlic and salt. Repeat the layering process.

3. Saute some bread crumbs in butter and sprinkle them at the top along with some parmesan cheese.

4. Bake at 350 F for around 30 minutes, or until the zucchini seems tender when poked with a fork. Put some basil leaves on top just before serving!

Zucchini Tomato Gratin