Thursday, September 9, 2010

Rescued From Take-Out (Layered Vegetable Casserole)

Hot and bubbly from the oven...
waiting is the hardest part
Like Mother Hubbard,  I went to the cupboard this evening and by golly it was bare.  

The thought did cross my mind to make a quick call to Sal’s Pizza or run over to Alan & Son for some BBQ.  Not exactly healthy moves. 

So instead I took another inventory of the ‘fridge and pantry.  Here’s what I came up with:
  • 1 small striped zucchini from last weekend’s trip to the Farmers Market
  • 1 medium summer squash from the same farmer
  • A good-sized handful of baby spinach
  • 6 large mushrooms
  • ½ pint of whole milk ricotta (the inspiration for this dish.  I couldn't bear to toss it)
  • About ¼ cup of shredded and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 slice provolone cheese (like you’d use in a sandwich) this is probably optional but sounded like a good thing to do
  • Some fresh basil
  • Some fresh parsley
  • About a cup of dried rigatoni (any shape or style would do)
  • 1 medium can of Cento San Marzano tomato sauce
  • Staples of salt, pepper, olive oil, fennel seed and fresh garlic
Put it all together and what do you get? 

Layered Vegetable Casserole (or lasagna without lasagna pasta), that’s what.

Method

Here’s the game plan:
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degree
  • In small sauce pan, sauté two chopped cloves of garlic and a teaspoon or so of fennel seeds in about a Tbs of the olive oil; then add the tomato sauce and a handful of the basil that you’ve rough chopped
  • Simmer as you prepare the rest of the recipe
  • In a large pot, boil some salted water and cook the pasta until al dente.  When done remove the pasta and add to the simmering sauce
  • Slice the squash into ¼ inch lengthwise slices. 
  • Mix the ricotta cheese with the grated parmesan cheese, a handful of chopped parsley, about a teaspoon of olive oil and a scant pinch of salt and about six grinds of pepper.
  • Slice and sauté the mushrooms in a tsp of the olive oil

Now to assemble:
  • Put some sauce in the bottom of a small casserole dish; smear it around
  • Add a single layer of zucchini
  • Dot the zucchini with ½ of the ricotta mixture
  • Add a layer of the spinach
  • Scoop out the pasta from the sauce and layer on top of the ricotta
  • Add the mushrooms
  • Add the summer squash in a single layer
  • Top with rest of the ricotta mixture
  • Pour on the rest of the sauce
  • Slice the provolone into thin strips and put them as the final layer
  • Sprinkle the shredded parmesan cheese on top’
  • Cover lightly with foil

Time to cook it
  • Bake for 40 minutes covered
  • Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese starts to turn golden


Cool for 15 minutes

Slice and serve

Enjoy

1 comment:

  1. Yum. Extra points for cleaning out the veggie bin in the fridge.

    ReplyDelete