Creamy Zucchini Casserole

Creamy Zucchini Casserole

3 large zucchini sliced thin on a mandolin
1 tablespoon olive oil to coat baking dish
a tad more olive oil to sauté onions
1 onion chopped fine and sautéed, divided
12 button mushrooms sliced and sautéed, divided
4 tablespoons of butter to sauté mushrooms
1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced half, divided 
6 eggs beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 ounces of smoked gouda cheese grated, divided
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

This casserole is a great way to use up vegetables from the garden. Sauté the onion till soft and slightly caramelized and set aside. Sauté the mushrooms till just barely soft and set aside. Coat 9 x 13 inch baking dish with olive oil on the bottom and sides too.

Slice zucchini on mandolin thin. Make one layer of the zucchini on the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Slice tomatoes in half. Next sprinkle half of the onions, then half of the tomatoes, then half of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. 

Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the mixture. Beat eggs and then beat in the ricotta cheese. Drizzle half of the egg mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish.

Begin again with a layer of the zucchini, then onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese. Do the same with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle the remaining egg mixture over the top. Place one more layer of the zucchini slices and adorn with a few tomato slices. Drizzle the cream over the top and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I was pleasantly surprised how well the casserole serving stayed together when served. Making the casserole does take some time but in the end it's worth it. I made a large casserole so we can have it for several days. That way I don't have to cook every day. This morning I asked Gary how he liked the squash casserole. Gary said I don't like squash. I said you said you liked the casserole last night. He said you didn't say it was squash, you said it was zucchini casserole. I said zucchini is a squash. One never knows about men. Happy cooking.