A Summer Casserole You Will Make Again and Again!
When the zucchini crop hits your kitchen or your farmer’s market, here’s an easy and elegant casserole you can make when you are tired of zucchini bread, zucchini sticks with ranch dip or steamed zucchini with Parmesan cheese.
Zucchini Summer Casserole
Ingredients:
5 cups sliced uncooked zucchini
1 large onion, diced
1 cup Panko crumbs, divided use
2 large eggs, higher omega-3 if available, beaten
2 large egg whites (1/4 cup egg substitute can be used instead), beaten
1 cup fat free half and half (lowfat milk can be substituted)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch or two cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar (or similar)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Coat a 7? x 11? baking dish (or similar) with canola cooking spray.
2. Microwave zucchini and onion until just tender. Add vegetables to a large mixing bowl and combine with 2/3 cup of the Panko crumbs, beaten eggs and egg whites, fat free half and half, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
3. Pour mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Spread remaining cheese (1/2 cup) and remaining Panko crumbs (1/3 cup) over the top of casserole. Coat the top of Panko crumbs with canola cooking spray.
4. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover baking dish and bake 10 minutes more. Enjoy as a main entrée or a side dish.
Yield: 8 servings
Per serving: 181 calories, 11 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 6.5 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 73 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g fiber, 300 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 32 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .8 gram.
