Meatless Monday on Tuesday: Layered Veggie Casserole

I was all set to make this amazing and cozy-sounding dish yesterday after the Bookcase Foodie linked it up over the weekend. But, then I started getting some weird stomach cramps and figured I should stay away from all the dairy...for now, anyway. I will DEFINITELY be making those Yukons in the near future, I already have a bag ready to go!

So then I remembered this other yummy recipe from My Sweet and Savory and realized I had most of the ingredients already in my kitchen. And my dear neighbors were kind enough to share some fresh, homegrown string beans, grape tomatoes, and zucchini from their garden that I was vying to use. My mind was made up.

A great gift from my neighbors :)

All the veggies I used to make this, except for the string beans which I may use tonight

What I came up with is not exactly the same as Sweet and Savory's but it's pretty close and uses the same seasonings. I used Yukon potatoes, onions, garlic, tomato, cauliflower, and zucchini and it was AMAZING! Read on!

Drooling yet?

Layered Veggie Casserole

Ingredients:
(serves 4-6)

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
6 grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium Vidalia onion, quartered and sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped and thinly sliced
1/2 cup garlic rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled feta for topping

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Coat an 8x8" square pan or dish with part of the olive oil. Layer the bottom of the pan with the potatoes, then top with some of the garlic, onion, vinegar, salt and pepper. Next, layer the sliced tomatoes, then the zucchini plus more of the onion, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Next, the cauliflower and anymore onion and garlic you might have left, plus the rest of the olive oil and more salt, pepper, and vinegar if desired. Follow the picture below.

Place dish into oven uncovered for 20 minutes. Next, put the dish in the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until roasted to desired blackness. Lastly, top this casserole with as much crumbled feta as you'd like and place back in the turned off oven for 3 minutes until feta is slightly melted. Serve immediately. This would be a great side dish with just about anything or as a main course for a small family or couple. We had it with some steamed broccoli that was about to turn, and it would've been really good with some warm, crusty bread. 

The final product...

The flavors of this dish are so delicious! The tangy vinegar with the hearty garlic, and all those fresh veggies...this is a new favorite recipe of mine, for sure! The saltiness of the feta was an incredible addition, too. You could replace it with mozzarella or goat cheese if you'd like, I think either of those would work well too, but definitely use feta if you got it! I can't wait to serve this at a dinner party!

I am sorry to say my husband was not too into it due to his "delicate" palate (meaning he is not a big fan of onion, zucchini, or tomato, how unfortunate!), but Lily asked for seconds! If you are trying to get your young toddler or child to get into a variety of veggies, this is the way to go. You could also add to or replace the ingredients with any of the following:

• yellow squash
• bell peppers
• other type of potato
• other type of tomato
• eggplant
• carrot
• mild greens

I'm sure just about anything that is not too bitter tasting would be great in this. I was even thinking about adding some sliced string beans, but opted not to. Perhaps next time...

Lily-approved!

To be honest, I am not a big squash eater. I think I may have mentioned that before, and zucchini is one in particular that I never really got into. But this one fresh from the garden with only a few seeds was so good! Nice and green and crisp-tasting like a cucumber.

Zucchini contains lots of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins C and K, all the B vitamins, potassium and manganese.  Zucchini also contains large doses of fiber and healthy omegas, and can assist in lowering cholesterol. It is a great diet food!

I hope you give this one a try, you won't regret it! What did you have for Meatless Monday yesterday?

Don't forget I am still looking for the perfect BBQ recipes for my upcoming family cook-out, share yours in the comments! Also, please stop by tomorrow for this month's Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month, which is also a goodbye to a great blog I recently got introduced to. Unfortunately, the writer is not able to keep up with it after this week, but I felt I should honor her blog anyway since it will still be up, just no longer active. 

Enjoy the rest of your day!