Summer Vegetable Torte

This is a really easy vegetable dish to make! Plus it's good for you, looks pretty and reheats well. 

If you grow squash, it's also a really nice way to get creative with all the zucchini and summer squash from your garden (or if you are lucky, a neighbor or relatives' garden).

By mid-August, my father's garden had a bounty of zucchini and summer squash. We gave away a lot to neighbors. My mother had what seemed like 50 recipes for zucchini bread, cake, stir-fry, muffins, soup, etc.

Zucchini and Squash Layered Torte

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

2 yellow squash, sliced thin

1 large zucchini, sliced thin

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

3 T grated parmesan cheese

about 10 basil leaves, chopped

1 tomato, sliced thin

freshly ground pepper

1 T butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease a 1 1/2 quart oven-safe casserole dish. Taking about half of the zucchini, layer it on the bottom of the pan. Follow by a layer of half the onion and half the summer squash. Sprinkle with half the basil and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Sprinkle with 1 T of parmesan cheese and some freshly-ground pepper.  Repeat. On the top of the casserole, layer the tomato slices and finish with a sprinkle of the cheese and a few dots of butter.

Cover loosely with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.  You want the vegetables cooked, still a bit firm and not mushy. 

What's your family's favorite dish using zucchini or squash from the garden?