Heirloom Tomato, Squash and Pepper Gratin
Wow, I’ve really been off the grid! I’ll blame it on a little bit of travel and a lot of writer’s block. Or maybe the other way around. We got back from an awesome weekend in Atlanta last night, and tomorrow I head to South Dakota. Maybe I’ll just leave everything in my suitcase, although I’m not sure how appropriate the dress I wore to the wedding Saturday night would be tromping around the state fair.
Anyways, I suppose I should get my veggies in before I head to the Midwest. Seriously, a couple of years I’ve made the mistake of getting my cholesterol checked shortly after returning and it was bad news bears. Who’da thunk it? I mean, my diet of bacon wrapped steak, Taco Johns, Indian tacos and deep fried cookie dough seemed like a great idea at the time!
I should also share this recipe with you while tomatoes and summer squash are still in season! I’ve been getting a lot of both from my CSA the last couple of weeks, but luckily I had just the recipe on hand. I modified it slightly to accommodate the contents of my fridge. Seriously, we have done so little grocery shopping this summer, it’s amazing! Anyways, we enjoyed this casserole, although next time I think I would use the same ingredients to make a quiche with quinoa crust. Similar idea really, I’m just partial to the nice crunchy crust!
Heirloom Tomato, Squash and Pepper Gratin
Adapted from Eats Well with Others
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp + tsps olive oil
- 2 cups chopped red onion
- 2 medium bell peppers, chopped (I used one red and one yellow)
- 1 lb yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 3 gloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 tsps Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup almond milk or 2% reduced fat milk
- 3 oz manchego cheese, shredded
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 12 oz heirloom tomatoes, seeded and sliced thinly
- 2 Tbsp pesto
- Parmesan cheese to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and swirl to coat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the squash and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. Place the veggie mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the quinoa, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Taste for seasoning.
- Combine the remaining milk, cheese and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add the milk mixture to the veggies, stirring until just combined. Spoon into a greased 9×9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
- Arrange tomatoes evenly over the veggie mixture in the pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- In a small bowl, combine pesto and 2 tsps olive oil. Drizzle over top of casserole. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until topping is browned.
Serves 4
