Baked Fresh Zucchini and Tomatoes with Cheese Recipe
Total:50 mins
Prep:15 mins
Cook:35 mins
Yield:4 to 6 servings
Add this recipe for tasty cheese-topped zucchini and tomatoes to your dinner repertoire. It is an excellent side dish, especially if you have a garden with an abundance of summer vegetables. The tomatoes and zucchini are combined with herbs and baked to perfection with lots of melty cheese. If you have fresh herbs, use that—about 2 to 3 teaspoons, chopped—instead of dried herbs.
Serve the baked vegetables with grilled or sauteed meat, fish, or poultry.
Ingredients
4 small zucchini
2 large tomatoes
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
Cut the ends from zucchini and then cut the squash crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
Core the tomatoes and cut them into slices about 1/2-inch in thickness. Cut each slice of tomato into quarters.
Peel the onion and chop it finely.
In a large bowl, combine the zucchini and tomatoes; sprinkle with the finely chopped onion, minced garlic, kosher salt, basil, and pepper. Toss the vegetables to blend thoroughly; drizzle with the olive oil and toss again to coat the vegetables.
Turn the vegetables into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Top with fontina cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips
Fontina cheese is a semisoft cheese made with cow's milk. Fontina cheese originated in Italy in 1477, and there are now three styles: Danish-style, Italian-style, and Swedish-style. The Danish and Swedish styles are tangier than the milder Italian-style, and all are earthy and nutty in flavor. The cheese melts beautifully and is excellent eating cheese.
Zucchini can be frozen if you have a surplus. Just wash the squash, slice it or cube it, and blanch it in boiling water. Cubed or thinly sliced should be blanched for about 3 minutes. Blanche thick slices for about 6 minutes. Cool the squash quickly in ice water and seal in freezer containers or bags. Freeze for up to 3 months; longer if you use a vacuum sealing system.
Recipe Variations
Grape tomatoes—or cherry tomatoes—are another good option for the dish. Add about 1 to 2 cups of halved grape tomatoes to replace the cut-up tomatoes.
The recipe calls for fontina cheese, but Gruyere, Gouda, and provolone are some good substitutes. Any good melting cheese that you like is fine in this recipe.
Add some yellow summer squash to the dish if that's what you have, or use a combination of zucchini and yellow squash for the extra color.
For more color and flavor, add bell pepper, cut into strips.
Thank you to thespruceeats.com for this recipe