Eggplant Bounty - © growyourownveg.net

Zucchini, Eggplants, Tomatoes: Too Much Of A Good Thing

There IS such a thing as too much of a good thing. And some of us set ourselves up for just that sort of situation every year when we plant our backyard gardens. How many friends or neighbours have ever complained to you that they didn’t plant enough Zucchini, Eggplants, Tomatoes or Cucumbers?

Tomato Bounty - © victorygardenonthegolfcourse.blogspot.caThere IS such a thing as too much of a good thing.

It’s coming, if it hasn’t already arrived: The annual flood of surplus produce from your backyard garden. And you’ve already just about exhausted the list of friends and family you can give stuff away to, rather than waste it back into the ground.

But wait!

I’ve been collecting recipes for years, when I happened upon appropriate ones, that will help you use up your abundance of Veggie goodness before you get bored if it. I’ll be sharing some of these gems with you over the next week or so, so watch this space closely… I’ll start today with one of my fave Casseroles which you can consider a rich, healthy side if you’re an omnivore, or a more-ish main if your Vegetarian or Vegan…

Tomatoes and Eggplants and Zucchinis – Oh, my!

I created this one myself one summer when I had an avalanche of Veggies to deal with all at the same time. It takes a little work, but now I make a couple pf lasagna dishes of it at a time (or several smaller meal-sized casseroles) and freeze some.

One year, I was harvesting my own Zucchinis and Tomatoes in record numbers, and a neighbour offered to trade some of each of those for some of her Eggplants, all at the same time. Fair enough. I love all these great, versatile tasty Fruits of the Field. So I wanted to create a dish that used all of them at the same time.

Here’s what I use:

  • 2 medium Purple Eggplants
  • 2 medium Zucchinis
  • 6-8 medium-large Beefsteak Tomatoes
  • 4-6 medium Sweet Onions (optional)
  • 4-6 medium Garlic cloves (or to taste) (peeled and chopped small or pressed)
  • 1 jar / 500 ml total Marinara Sauce (store-bought or your own)
  • 1 tbsp. Sugar
  • Selection of Italian Herbs and Spices (your choice) (Fresh Herbs are always best with fresh produce!)
  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Here’s what I do:

The key to a classy presentation, here, is  that all your Veggies are about the same – 3 in. / 7-8 cm – in cross section. Slice all Veggies about 1/4 in. – 1 cm thick. The Onions, if you use them, should be sliced thinner so they don’t dominate the flavour profile of the dish.

Arrange in alternating order with slices overlapping generously in nice neat, long-wise rows in your casserole dish(es). No need to grease your Casserole; the Veggies are moist enough to keep the casserole from, sticking.

Sprinkle evenly all over the top with Garlic, Salt and Pepper.

Pour Marinara over the sliced Veggies and use a spoon or spatula to spread evenly over the entire top of the dish.

Sprinkle the Marinara layer with your Herbs and Spices, and just a little Sugar to take the acidic edge off the Tomatoes. There are a lot of them in this dish!

Option:

If you want to create a non-Vegan/Vegetarian side, you can top with as much shredded Mozzarella as you like and/or a final layer of Bread Crumbs tossed with a little Olive Oil to form a crust.

Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated 375 F oven until the liquid that forms in the bottom of the dish bubbles nicely and the top is bubbling all over.

When finished cooking:

(Which will be 45 min. to 1 hour in most ovens…)

Serve immediately using a slotted spoon.

And that’s all there is to it!

This casserole will freeze well if tightly covered with foil and a top layer or plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Freeze in single-meal or single-serving portions, in heavy-duty freezer bags or plastic containers with tightly-fitting lids.

Reheat in a 350 F oven or microwave until bubbling away merrily again (up to half an hour; maybe more depending on your oven or microwave).

I’ll be back with more summer bounty-busting recipes in the days ahead, among the usual Food News and Tips posts…

~  Maggie J.