Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Prep Time: ?? 
Cool Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

This is a pretty light lasagna. The recipe only use 8 oz of mozzarella and 3 oz of Parmesan cheese. There is no ricotta, which is kind of funny, because I planned on making it specifically to use up some ricotta I had in the refrigerator. Next time I'll look at the recipe.

Anyway, it is not too complicated. The prep involves chopping the onion and garlic, dicing the zucchini and eggplant and assembling everything. It takes time because you need to cool things before assembling. I did it while making some other food for the week, so it worked out fine.

This recipe is from the Oven Ready Casseroles where you
can make the dish the day before. I actually made a small lasagna in a loaf pan with 1 row of noodles, and a larger one in an 8x8 pan with 2 rows of noodles. I froze the larger one, which is not what the recipe calls for, but I'll try it.

I cooked the smaller lasagna the next day. You are supposed to add sauce before baking and cheese the last 10 minutes, but I did it all when I assembled it. It worked fine.

It was very good. It has a lot of vegetables if you include the tomato sauce, and a modest amount of cheese, so this really felt like decent fuel food to me. I may make it again. It is nice fall meal when I can still get good zucchini at the Farmer's Market.

Slow Cooker Chickpea and Garden Vegetable Pasta sauce

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours + 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
 
Recipe Source: Slow Cooker Revolution

(I found a copy of the recipe online here.)

I made this over the summer, and am finally posting about it. This was really good. The sauce was very tasty on pasta and would probably be good on its own as well. If you like chickpeas this is a good one to try.

It froze pretty well. The zucchini got a little soft, but was acceptable.

I used canned diced tomatoes which made it is a little easier to prepare.

Zucchini Bread

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Bake Time: 65 minutes
Cool Time: 90 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2014)

The recipe is not behind the pay wall right now, but it probably will be soon.

This was pretty good, but I think I like other quick breads more still, like banana bread or a pumpkin bread. I may still make again just when I need to use up some zucchini. This recipe does use more than most recipes.

Summer Beef and Rice Casserole

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2012) video at link
 
The prep time on this is based on having the sauce already made. It uses this Quick Meat Sauce which is nothing special, but fine for a "quick" sauce with meat. The nice thing about it is that it makes enough for two recipes, the original, and this one.

I had one small problem with this recipe and that was that the rice was a tiny bit crunchy still. Next time I will pour the rice in while I am heating up the sauce, so it gets a head start.

Other than that, it was delicious and very easy.  I will make again. I love meals that include the veggies in the main dish like this.

Stovetop Chili Mac

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

I liked this, but it wasn't anything special. Just a non-tomato meat sauce on top of pasta. It was simple enough, but not super simple so I probably wouldn't make it again.

Quick Moussaka

Prep Time: 32 minutes
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2003)

I substituted zucchini for the eggplant and struggled to find enough of it that looked good at the grocery store. I also substituted crushed tomatores, for whole canned (and drained) so my dish was a little soupier than it should have been. But it tasted great. I really like the topping, even if it not really traditional. It is a very flavorful dish and pretty quick considering the layers.

Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup

Total Time: 26 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was very delicious and super quick. The one thing I would change is to skip brining some ingredients to a boil in a separate saucepan. I believe it would be just fine to have this recipe take a few minutes longer than 30 minutes, and have one less pot to clean.

I used very old saffron, so I wonder if it could just do without. I wondered about the ground ginger in it, but it all tasted very good and I will probably make this again for a quick and healthy dinner.

Zucchini-Romano Muffins

Prep Time: 11 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Muffins A to Z

This is not my favorite muffin recipe. I think it should use more zucchini. However, warm and slathered with some butter (which I normally skip) these taste good. The reason I made them was because I had some milk, pecorino cheese and a zucchini that needed to be used up and this recipe was perfect for that.

Zucchini Casserole with Feta, Lemon and Oregano

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2005)

While I was making this, I thought, this is probably more trouble than it is worth, because it took a little bit longer than I expected. However, I changed my mind once I tasted this. The flavors were excellent, and this is a great new recipe to help me use up my zucchini. I did modify just slightly, by using half the olive oil and twice the amount of feta cheese.

It was quite soupy when done, and the broth was very flavorful. I will make some bulgar or couscous next time to serve with to soak up some of the juice.

Chicken Curry Kebabs

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Marinade Time: 1 hour (up to 1 day)
Additional Prep: 15 minutes
Grill Time: 10-15 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

I liked the yogurt curry combination in this marinade and the chicken was very good. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you can marinade up to 1 day, so you have much of the work done before you actually cook the dinner.

Zucchini Beef One Pot Meal

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Me

This recipe was inspired by an idea I read on the Cook's Illustrated bulletin board. It is very flexible and could be used with other spices and flavors. I like it because it is super easy and is a nice way to use up zucchini.

I liked this served over rice, but it also good on its own.

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion diced
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 medium zucchini 1" dice
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or minced chipotle in sauce)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey)
15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
cilantro, 2-3 Tablespoons minced (optional)
2 oz pepper jack cheese, grated (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat and saute onion, for about 5 minutes.

2. Add zucchini and salt. Saute another 5 minutes.

3. Add meat and cook, breaking up with spoon, until brown.

4. Add spices and saute about 30 seconds.

5. Add tomatoes with juice and stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes until flavors are combined.

6. Stir in chopped cilantro if desired.

7. Serve topped with cheese if desired.

Pasta and Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2003)

I like this dish because flavors are good. However, it is a little bit more time consuming than many of my pasta dishes. I will continue to make this, but the Roasted Zucchini and Tomato recipe from Everyday Food is easier and almost as tasty. Perhaps I can combine the best of the two recipes. I like the roasting, but I also like the pine nuts, red pepper and balsamic vinegar in this one.

Zucchini and Chickpea Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2005)

I have modified the recipe quite a bit, to make it lighter, and to use Zucchini instead of Eggplant. The original recipe called for Mint, and I use fresh Oregano.

Roasted Zucchini Salad

4-5 medium zucchini, 1/2" dice
2 1/2 T. olive oil, separated
salt
pepper
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. fresh oregano, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Toss diced zucchini with 1 T. olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place on foil lined heavy pan. Roast
3. Roast zucchini for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice.
4. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 pepper in large bowl. Add chickpeas, zucchini and feta and toss to combine. Serve warm or cold.


Update: There is also a curry version of this salad with peas, which I tried. I don't like this one as much, so I will stick with the chickpea feta version of zucchini salad.

Stuffed Squash with Bulgar and Feta

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (June 2004)

I like this recipe as a filling vegetarian meal. It is pretty simple to make, although not quick, because you have to saute the filling before stuffing the squash. However, with only 6 ingredients, it doesn't take long to prep.

I do alter the recipe slightly, using a bit less oil and cutting the feta in half. I think you still get the strong feta flavor, and it is enough to bind the stuffing a little. The calories per serving is cut down to about 350 by doing this.

Summer Chipotle Vegetables and Black Beans

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Me

This recipe was inspired by a Stuffed Zucchini Recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I find that recipe to be too much trouble, but I liked the flavors and idea of roasting the zucchini, so I came up with this instead.

NOTE: This recipe is very flexible and you can skip any ingredients you don't like or alter the amounts of the main ingredients to your tastes. You can use canned or fresh tomatoes and use either frozen or fresh corn.

I usually dice the potatoes, put in the oven, then continue prepping items because the zucchini doesn't need to cook as long as the potatoes.

Summer Chipotle Vegetables and Black Beans

Ingredients:
1 lb red potatoes, 1/2" dice
4 medium zucchini, 1/2" dice
2 T. olive oil
coarse salt
1 small onion, finely diced
15 oz. petite diced tomatoes, or 2 tomatoes, diced; drained
1-2 chipotle chilis minced with some of the sauce
1 can of black beans
1 cup frozen corn, thawed, or fresh corn kernals cut off of cob
1-2 T. cilantro, minced
2 oz. shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Toss the potatoes with 1 T. of olive oil and a pinch or two of salt on a jelly roll pan and put in oven. Roast for 30 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Toss once or twice with a spatula.

3. Toss the zucchini with 1/2 T. of olive oil and a pinch of salt on a second jelly roll pan. Rost for 20-25 minutes until zucchini is browned. Toss during cooking.

4. Meanwhile, saute onion in 1/2 T. of olive oil over medium heat, until softened, 5-10 minutes. Add chilis and sauce and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, and cook until liquid evaporates.

5. Add corn with tomatoes if cut off of cob. Otherwise add now with the black beans, and heat through.

6. If room in pan, add in roasted potatoes and zucchini when done. Otherwise, mix in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add minced cilantro and toss. Serve.

7. Top with shredded cheese if desired.

Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food ( March 2003)

This is also one of my very favorite recipes. It is healthy, quick and delicious. My modifications to the recipe are small (like using fresh basil instead of parsley). I also use a little less olive oil. I like to add in a tiny bit of olive oil when mixing the pasta with sauce - about 1 teaspoon is enough to add a little extra flavor.

The leftovers make a great pasta salad. It sometimes can use just a tiny bit more olive oil at this point and maybe a little extra freshly grated cheese and herbs.