Don’t know what to do with your garden harvest abundance of zucchini and tomatoes or just craving something fresh and full of veggies? Whatever your need is, Fresh Vegetarian Casserole will satisfy every desire. The fresh, tasty zucchini along with the juicy, sweet heirloom tomatoes are covered in cheesy heaven that will keep you coming back to this dish again and again. The Fresh Vegetarian Casserole can serve as the star of the meal or a wonderful, fulfilling accompaniment to whatever else you’re craving. Either way, you will love the blend of all of these savory flavors and the melty cheese, did we mention the cheese?! It’s such a great combo! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, whipped
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 zucchinis, sliced
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup Italian blend cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- fresh basil, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
Step 3 –In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, the milk, the basil, and the ground nutmeg.
Step 4 –Evenly layer 1/2 of the zucchini slices in the bottom of the prepared baking dish and sprinkle them with the salt and the pepper.
Step 5 –Top the zucchini layer with an even layer of the sliced tomatoes and sprinkle them with 1/2 of the garlic and 1/2 of the basil.
Step 6 –Top the tomato slices with 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 of the Italian cheese.
Step 7 –Repeat the layers once, starting with the zucchini slices and ending with the cheese.
Step 8 –Dot the top of the casserole with the butter.
Step 9 –Bake the casserole until it is bubbly and browned and the vegetables are tender, about 22-25 minutes.
Step 10 –Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes.
Step 11 –Garnish the casserole with the fresh basil.
Step 12 –Serve.