I try to eat healthy, really I do. And for a girl who loves bacon and could eat it with every meal this can sometimes be tricky. (Note: 2 slices of bacon are only 90 calories so shut it). Often, when I’ve been going out to eat a lot or eating a bunch of fried food or living on junk, I’ll make myself some nice vegetarian meals that are chock full of veggies.
The trick with this veggie bake is the squash ribbons that mimic pasta in their texture and consistency. I also omitted many spices and seasonings because I used homemade breadcrumbs that are covered in delicious. If you use store bought or skip the breadcrumbs make sure you add in some of your favorite Italian seasonings.
Baked Squash Ribbons and Tomato
–butter
–1 onion, chopped
–3 medium sized zucchini or yellow squash, cut into small fries or ribbons (using a potato peeler or a mandolin)
–3 large tomatoes, cored, roughly chopped and mostly de-seeded
–shredded Swiss cheese
–1/3 cup sour cream
–1 egg, whisked
–paprika
–salt
–garlic powder
–pepper
—bread crumbs
–shredded Parmesan cheese
In a large skillet saute the onion in 1-ish TBSP butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and add in the zucchini, tomatoes, 1/2 cup of shredded Swiss, sour cream, egg, seasonings and 1/4 cup of fine breadcrumbs. Mix like crazy until all stirred up and cheese and cream are evenly distributed. (The egg in this case is merely acting as a binder to keep the casserole hanging out together).
Transfer to a large baking/casserole dish. Make sure you spray down the dish with cooking spray to allow for easy removal. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup of shredded swiss cheese and a few tablespoons of parmesan. I also like to mix in some chunkier, larger pieces of breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until veggies are tender and cheese is melted and delicious.
