Tuesday, September 23, 2008

You Say Courgettes, I Say Zucchini...

zucchini casserole slice

I had a house full of kids last week and nothing planned for lunch. That's how well I plan ahead sometimes! I did have zucchinis though: not usually a favorite among children but I took my chances. I came up with a crustless "quiche-like" casserole that was very well received. The older kids liked it so much they kept looking back at the dish nervously, to make sure there would be enough for seconds. I always like to see that. It wasn't so with my youngest boy, Mr. Picky, who would have gladly given his slice away: too many green flakes for him. His older brother, who has turned into our official leftover disposal in the past year, was only too glad to be the one to clean his plate. I guess that's what happens when you grow 6 inches in eight months.

As an aside, the English call zucchini: courgette, which is the French word for this humble squash. I love words and their origins. This one particularly intrigues me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it sounds so funny, and it's so hard to spell. It so happens that I did a little bit of research, and that zucchini comes from the Italians. Zucca in Italian means pumpkin. Zucchino means--drum roll please--zucchini.

zucchini casserole

Zucchini Cheese Casserole (6-8 servings)
This makes a wonderful lunch or brunch dish. If you are not concerned about gluten or wheat, use any pancake mix you have on hand.

2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup shredded mexican cheese mix
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup GF pancake mix (such as Pamela's GF Pancake and Baking Mix)
1/3 cup egg white
4 whole eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil


Preheat oven 350F.
oil a medium size round oven proof dish.

zucchini casserole prep-bowl

In a small bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, olive oil, salt and basil.
In a larger bowl combine the zucchini, onion, cheese and pancake mix.
Mix the egg mixture into the zucchini mixture. Mix well and transfer to pre-oiled dish.

Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

One more egg dish for you to enjoy:
Zucchini Blossom and Dill Frittata

18 comments:

Dee said...

Never would have guessed that zucchini could turn out so pretty! Does the pncake mix add more 'body' to the quiche?

maybelles mom said...

nice trick with the pancake mix. Looks delicious.

Mary Ann said...

My mom used to make something like this when we had an overload of zucchini in the summer. I love the uncrusted version- It looks so fabulous!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

You know what I say?? GORGEOUS dish :0)

Apples and Butter said...

That looks delicious and thank you for the language lesson. Isn't it fascinating how we name things and the root of those names?

Susan @ SGCC said...

This looks wonderful! I just brought home some zucchini today and I've been trying to decide what to do with them. Perfect!

Anonymous said...

Oh MY this looks like a perfectly delicious new thing to try with all the zucchini I brought home from the Farm Market today.

I am seriously in some kind of love with zucchini and I can't WAIT to try this recipe!

Olga said...

Great looking recipes. And anything with cheese is good ;)

If you have more of those zucchinis left, try to make zucchini latkes: shredded zucchini, an egg, a bit of flour and salt & pepper.

Alexa said...

Hi Dee,
The pancake mix soaks up some of the moisture from the zucchini and adds a firmness to this faux-quiche. It really makes the texture wonderful.

Maybelle's mom,
I am glad you liked it!

Mary Ann,
I was thrilled to find an easy way to use up our zucchinis. There is only so many zucchini muffins we can eat...

Veggiegirl,
And I say: Thank you so much for your kind comments on my blog. Seeing them always brings a smile to my face.

Apples and Butter,
I love finding out little tidbits like that... keeps me happy.:)

StickyGooeyCreamyChewy,
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it.

Pheenie,
They are so good when they are farm fresh. Enjoy!

Olga,
Thanks for the zucchini latkes recipe. Sounds delicious and I love latkes. My mom always made the potato kind growing up. I will have to try your recipe.:-)

Dewi said...

Alexa,
This is so perfect for sunday brunch with family and friends. I would serve this with Spicy Red Bell pepper jam. Delicé!

Deeba PAB said...

Ooooh looks lovely Alexa. I loved reading the banter on Zuchinni! This is a yummy zu-quiche-ini!!

Helene said...

You know, this might be my breakfast this weekend :) Healthy and gorgeous!!
I still drive my produce guy mad by saying courgette and aubergine!!

LyB said...

I love anything with zucchini, or courgettes! This looks like a great lunch. My kids would certainly like it, they like zucchini bread and cupcakes. This is definitely bookmarked. :)

Anonymous said...

That looks so good. I don't have a garden, and apparently no one else around here does, either, so I had to BUY zucchini. Aren't a lot of people giving it away right now?
Beautiful photos.

Anonymous said...

Hy,
I've just did this recipe, and the taste of onion covered all the delicate flavor of zucchini. In my opinion the quantity of onion should be halved (or maybe use scallion instead of onion. Otherwise great recipe.Thanks.

Anonymous said...

This recipe sounds great. I am going to try it today with zucchini from my garden. I have a recipe for zucchini cake, very moist, if anyone wants it.

Anonymous said...

This was insanely good!! I made it with soy flour to reduce the carbs. Best dinner I have made in a long time! Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

My mother-in-law makes a version of this but with thawed spinach. It's so yummy as a lunch with a slice of tomato. I can't wait to try it with zucchini!

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