Colorful and flavorful, this zucchini, potato and tomato casserole serves vegetarians, even vegans — and when you add some sausage, cheese or eggs, it becomes hearty enough for a main dish for omnivores.
My friend Meg Devereux, who doesn’t even like to cook, made this dish for a lunch we shared. Easy to assemble, which it would have to be if Meg was going to make it, I thought this is a good one for Taste Buds readers. She made the all-vegetable version, and I decided I would try to put together a version with heartier elements. The main question for me was whether to put the sausage on the bottom or on the top. Decisions, decisions.
Because the zucchini and tomato elements cook relatively quickly, you probably ought to parboil the potatoes. I sliced them about a quarter of an inch thick and simmered them in water in a big flat pan until I could stick a knife in them. I cooked the sausage ahead, too, along with the onions.
I decided to leave some sausage at the bottom of the pan and arranged the vegetables over it, then sprinkled the rest of the sausage and onion mixture over the top.
Of course, that makes it more work. You can do as Meg did, and merely cook up the onions, spread them in the bottom of your casserole dish, then line up the vegetables alternating among the three, dribble on some olive oil, and stick it in the oven. Bang.
The main thing is that this recipe is so elastic that you can make it for two or 10. When I tried it out, I had a zucchini about 8 inches long, two small potatoes, a medium onion, one medium tomato whose slices I cut in two, and two sweet Italian sausages. It made enough for two or three servings.
Salt and pepper? Sure. Some basil or oregano? Why not, especially if you aren’t going the sausage route. Some people like an egg or three dropped on top of a dish like this, and that is a good alternative to sausage. Bake the casserole first, then add the eggs and pop it back into the oven until the eggs are set.
Though I didn’t, you could consider serving this on rice because some gorgeous goo forms on the bottom of the baking dish that you can pour onto the rice with the vegetables. Or if you have some trusty old crusty bread to dip in it, that would be pretty yummy, too.
Awfully tasty stuff for the effort required.
Zucchini, Potato, Tomato and Sausage Casserole
2 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 medium potato, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 medium tomato, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
Parmesan cheese, grated, optional
Heat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Break up the sausage and fry in a pan, add the onions when the sausage releases some grease and cook until the onions are tender and the sausage browned.
Simmer the potato slices in a little water until you can insert a knife tip. Drain the water.
Layer some of the sausage in the bottom of a baking dish, reserving some for the top of the casserole.
Making rows or concentric circles, layer the zucchini, potato and tomato slices successively.
Sprinkle the remaining sausage and onion over the top.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add the optional parmesan and heat until it is melted.
Serves two to three as a main dish.
