Friday, August 3, 2012

Grilled Eggplant And Zucchini Casserole

Bev wanted to call it lasagna rather than casserole, but I hate it when folks take such liberties with the language, as pretty soon word definitions will be meaningless. Imagine going into a bar, ordering a martini (gin & vermouth) and being served vodka spiked chocolate milk in a martini glass – it’s almost come to that.  Lasagna, is a wide and flat type of pasta and the word also refers to a dish made with this type of pasta like this.

So much for the railing.

We had eggplant and zukes to use and Bev decided to make a lasagna like casserole by substituting the veggies for the noodles.  After salting for an hour to draw out the moisture, we dried and tossed them in olive oil, sprinkled with Italian herbs and grilled for a few minutes to give them some grill marks/flavor.

She added a layer of marinara to the bottom of a 10”x12” sprayed casserole dish then added a layer of zuchhini topped with ricotta cheese, pre-cooked Italian sausage, shredded mozzarella, and sauce.

  Next came another layer beginning with eggplant and the final layer contained both veggies (that’s just the way it worked out). Everything was topped with a final layer of sauce, more cheese, and some halved olives (Kalamata or black). This is the finished product.

It didn’t come out too cleanly, but was delicious.

It was also very good re-heated for lunch the next day.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Mexican Chicken Ala Steph


Larry

7/20/12 meal date

11 comments:

  1. Casseroles and lasagna never seem to come out of the pan too cleanly for me.. but who cares, I know they say we eat with our eyes, but come on, you know it's about the taste!!! Bev had a great idea using the veggies instead of the pasta... healthy and delicious!

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  2. Casserole or lasagna, it still sounds good and a great way to use the harvest!

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  3. This looks delicious-looks like you are using some garden veggies.

    I think Bev might be onto something referring to it as "lasagna"-without checking, I think lasagna is an Italian word to mean "baked layers"

    Have a great weekend.

    Velva

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  4. Zucchini lasagna has been on my list and it's now or never! But I was thinking of changing the name to Zucchini casserole - just kidding Larry - you rail anytime you want - and we all know you're right. Tell Bev it's a beauty!

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  5. Larry, Not my kind of thing...but be sure and tell Bev that I really like her ability to create...and to think outside the box when it comes to new/modified recipes! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  6. I can only imagine how good this was. And so timely, Just like every cooks kitchen in America I too have eggplant and zucchini that need to be used. I made the best eggplant parmesan last week, and Bob is insisting on more tonight. Next week I'll give this a try.

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  7. It's kinda lasagna-like, but does it matter what you call it if it's so delicious!

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  8. This is a great veggie lasagna Larry! I've had it on my 'to do' list to bake a veggie version for the longest time and yours is to die for! Love how you roasted the veggies to intensify the flavors on the grill! Little things make all of the difference don't they?

    PS: I just added some photos of the 'inside' of the 'mater pie that just about killed ya today, so you can see the layers. Please don't croak on us Big Dude! LOL!

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  9. I just ate a huge dinner and my mouth is watering for this one! WOW!

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  10. It's very like a moussaka - layers of veg (especially aubergine/eggplant) with meat sauce and a cheesey topping.

    So good, and they can be made, cooked and then re-heated incredibly successfully - my folks even freeze pieces. This is an excellent way to cope with the zucchini/summer squash glut; I like it with slices of pumpkin* included too.

    *not sugar pumpkin. Here we eat pumpkin as a vegetable.

    Happy cooking and eating, Michelle xxxx (Zebby Cat likes the cheese sauce)

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  11. What every you want to call Bev's dish, I think it must have been very good.

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