I have always laughed at the name of this casserole. ANYone who is served a dish by this name, in the middle of summer, KNOWS it has to have zucchini in it, somewhere. I first received a meatless version of this from my dear, dear friend Bobbie, many years ago.I also have a version, which includes cooked chicken, that I found in a community fundraiser cookbook — my own version falls somewhere in between. I made it when my children were small, but this is not normal fare for my family anymore. We are trying to make healthier food choices and avoid processed foods when at all possible.
But, this dish is slowly becoming a regular for us, once again. Spending the summer eating our way through the garden, nearly all of our meals have been healthy choices, brimming with freshly picked, organic vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins. I think we all need to splurge and enjoy a few of our favorite comfort foods once in awhile. Eating this casserole is like receiving a loving hug from my dear, sweet grandmother — in the form of a forbidden box of brownies arriving at Fat Camp.
As this is also a good use for my sliced, blanched and frozen zucchini, put away for the off-season, I will probably try to create a healthier version. But, for now, I will enjoy it as-is, and with it, spend a little time with my old friend.
Summer Surprise (Zucchini Casserole)
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
small amount of olive oil
about a cup of sour cream
cooked chicken, 1-2 breasts, sliced or diced
1 box Stove Top Stuffing
1 stick butter
To make a healthier version, I would replace the canned soup base, processed stuffing mix and, of course, the entire stick of butter! This version ALREADY reduces the originally called for TWO packages of stuffing and TWO sticks of butter — intended for top and bottom layers of the casserole. The original recipes also called for cooking the vegetables in butter. I could not do that.
Instructions
Melt the butter and stir in the stuffing mix until the bread is moistened. Spoon on top of the vegetable mixture, spreading to cover the top. Bake until the mixture bubbles and the top has browned, about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
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Serving suggestion: We like to include raw vegetables of some kind with our meal, usually in the form of a salad. Since I was feeling the love of good friends, I made a batch of my friend Amy’s cucumbers — something we always enjoy that she makes for our camping trips. So refreshing! It also didn’t hurt that I had several tons of fresh cucumbers in the garden.
Amy’s Cucumbers
Ingredients
fresh cucumbers white vinegar sugar water white pepper (I didn't have any, but they were still great!) Whether or not you peel the cucumbers is a matter of personal taste. I removed half of the peel from the cucumbers, so they had a pretty, striped effect.
Instructions
Slice the cucumbers and put them in a glass jar. Make a simple brine of equal parts white vinegar, sugar and water, add a small amount of white pepper, if desired. Pour the brine over the cucumbers (make enough to cover them completely) and store in the refrigerator. These are ready to eat in several hours, and will last for several days. Simple and delicious!