Sat 23 Aug 2008
I recently got a new cookbook, The City Gardener’s Cookbook, which focuses on how to use up all your garden produce. I do not have a garden but I love veggies so I figured this book would be good. It is my favorite cookbook of the week! This book has so many yummy and unique vegetable recipes - I cannot wait to try them all. Cheesy Vegetable Casserole, only slightly modified, was my first recipe out of the book. It turned out quite well and is a great way to showcase summer produce. It sounds looks more complicated to make than it really is.. I think the whole thing took me 1.5 hrs which includes the 30 min baking time for the eggplant and the 45 min baking time for the casserole. So mostly, I was just sitting around reading.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 1 medium potato, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ground pepper, to taste
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (8 oz) block cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant slices on a greased baking sheet and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, steam to potatoes for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and let cool. In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs, basil and oregano. Mix salt and pepper with eggs.
When eggplant is done, remove from oven and turn oven down to 375 degrees.
Oil a 9×13″ pan and dust with 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Make two layers of: eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, egg mixture, olive oil, breadcrumbs, cheese.
Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Serves: 8-10 as a side dish; 4-5 as a main dish




