Zucchini with sage and caramelized onions
This simple dish celebrates summer produce and herbs like zucchini and sage. #caramelizedonions #sage #simplerecipes #dinner #lunch #vegetarian
This 5-ingredient dish (I’m not counting water, salt, and pepper) is super simple, but tastes surprisingly complex and can be customized in endless ways to suit your family’s tastes.
This simple dish celebrates summer produce and herbs like zucchini and sage. #caramelizedonions #sage #simplerecipes #dinner #lunch #vegetarian
So, I love zucchini. I actually kind of grieved when my glorious early zucchini plant withered and died thanks to a hungry squash vine borer this summer. But, truth be told, zucchini is kind of a zero in the flavor department. One of its best qualities is that it takes on the personality of whatever it’s paired with, right?
Take zoodles, for example. You would think the titular veg would be the star of the show, but those fake noodles are nothing without a great sauce!
Anyway, THIS zucchini dish has caramelized onions and plenty of salt for flavor, sage for herbiness, and goat cheese to give everything a creamy, saucy vibe. The zucchini is really there for body and to provide a base for the other flavors and it totally does the job!
This simple dish celebrates summer produce and herbs like zucchini and sage. #caramelizedonions #sage #simplerecipes #dinner #lunch #vegetarian
This simple dish celebrates summer produce and herbs like zucchini and sage. #caramelizedonions #sage #simplerecipes #dinner #lunch #vegetarian
But can we talk about sage for a second? Where our zucchini flopped, our sage flourished and we ended up with the most gigantic and brilliant green leaves. But sage feels so autumnal that I struggle to use it in the summer time. And in all fairness, the combo of caramelized onions, goat cheese, and sage does have an autumn vibe. But when paired with the summery zucchini, you can totally eat this in July without feeling like you’re trying to speed up time.
A couple of notes:
I spiralized the zucchini, but when cooking the zoodles, they produce a lot of water. If you want something a little dryer or just don’t have/don’t want a spiralizer, just chop the zucchini into 1/2 inch cubes. They’ll be less wet, but no less delicious.
We added white fish to this dish the first time we made it and it was my favorite iteration by far. You can absolutely add a can of beans, shredded chicken, or any other protein as well. But anything that requires more than a few minutes of cooking time (the white fish was thin and cooked in about 6 minutes) should be pre-cooked and added along with the zucchini to heat up during the veg’s short cooking time.
This simple dish celebrates summer produce and herbs like zucchini and sage. #caramelizedonions #sage #simplerecipes #dinner #lunch #vegetarian
Zucchini with caramelized onions and sage
Time: 30 minutes, all active
Yield: 2 large adult servings, 2 kid servings or more if you add protein
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 -3 cups water
1 tsp salt, divided, or to taste
5-10 x-large sage leaves (about 1½ to 3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage), to taste
2 large zucchini, chopped or spiralized
Pepper, to taste
½ cup soft goat cheese, or to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large pan with a tight fitting lid until a drop of water sizzles.
Turn the flame to medium* and add the onions. Stir frequently until some browning begins on the onions or in the pan. Once this happens, add 2-3 Tbsp of water (or, enough to loosen those browned bits from the bottom of the pan), stir and scrape to loosen the browned bits, cover with the lid, and let cook for 2 minutes.**
Repeat this process until the onions are soft and have turned a dark brown color.
*If the onions or the pan are browning too fast, turn down the flame.
**If there is too much water in the pan when you take off the lid after letting the onions cook for 2 minutes, turn up the flame and let the onions cook with the cover off until there’s more browning on the pan that can be deglazed.
Once the onions are browned to your liking (I usually stop after about 20 minutes), add ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste.
Add the sage and stir well.
(If adding protein to the pan, add it now and cook to your preferred doneness.)
Add the zucchini and stir into the onions and sage. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the zucchini is slightly wilted. I like the zucchini to have a bit of crunch, so if you like it cooked a bit more, add a few more minutes here.
Add the rest of the salt and pepper to taste.
Top with the goat cheese and serve.
Zucchini and summer squash frittata
Use up your summer produce with this easy, delicious egg concoction.
Whelp, I'm laid up in bed due to my lower back's semiannual revolt against the rest of my body. Luckily, I've made a bunch of these easy and quick frittatas and the leftovers are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. Or eaten with your hands while watching The Great British Baking Show from the floor.
And what's easier than a frittata? They require one pan and come together so fast. I love adding a salty, garlicky, crunchy kick on top with the combination of panko, minced garlic, Parmesan, and sea salt.
I also like to leave the squash in fairly large chunks because otherwise the vegetables disappear into mush. If your kiddos will more likely eat something with less visible squash, feel free to use thinner slices or even to spiralize the veggies.
I find that the crunch on top often distracts from the fact that this frittata is vegetable laden. To that end, you really have to use panko or gluten-free panko to achieve that crunch. Regular breadcrumbs won't do the trick.
Serve this with ANY pesto from the archives!
Zucchini and summer squash frittata
Time: 30-35 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 6-8 servings, depending on what meal you're eating this for and what you're having with it.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ -2 lbs zucchini and summer squash, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
8 large eggs
2 cups shredded Gruyere, Gouda
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
A few cracks of black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over a medium flame and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
Meanwhile, crack the eggs in the bowl and whisk until the whites and yolks are well combined. Add the squash, the shredded Gruyere or Gouda, and 1/4 tsp of salt and stir to combine. Pour into the pan with the hot onions and stir again to combine.
Cook the eggs and squash, undisturbed (no more stirring!), on the stove top for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the eggs begin to set.
Meanwhile, combine the panko, garlic, Parmesan, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. When you're ready to put the frittata in the oven, sprinkle the panko mixture evenly over the top of the frittata.
Put in the oven and bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set in the middle, about 12-15 minutes. If the panko topping starts to brown, cover it loosely with tin foil until the eggs are cooked.
Green enchiladas
There are so many shortcuts one can take when making enchiladas and these are a great base for making any such substitutions!
I love enchiladas because they're a throw-anything-in-as-filling-and-bake-until-bubbly kind of dish and with cooler weather coming, who doesn't look forward to these dinners again?
However, I haven't had many great jarred sauces, so I decided to make my own and now I can never go back. Which makes this dish a bit more complicated and more appropriate for, say, a lazy rainy weekend than a frantic school night.
A couple of notes:
If making your own enchilada sauce, double the recipe. This casserole calls for just a bit more than half of the original recipe. Doubling means you'll have enough for 2 more large casseroles. Freeze it in two parts and you can cut down on the prep time for this dish significantly.
I used zucchini, turkey, and pinto beans, but feel free to sub any other veggies, beans, and proteins. You will have extra filling, but I felt it was silly to use less than the whole pound of turkey.
Shorten the prep further by using rotisserie or other pre-cooked chicken and grating the onions and veggies so that they cook in the oven.
This recipe hinges on the cheese, so try to find cojita. If you can't find it, use another salty, crumbly white cheese like ricotta salata or queso blanco.
Green enchiladas
Time: about 1.5 hours (some steps can overlap or be completed ahead of time)
Yield: 4-6 dinner servings
I adapted the sauce recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and it's darn near perfect. I added another 1/2 cup of green chilis because I thought the green chili taste could have been slightly stronger. Other than that, this sauce is dynamite.
For the sauce:
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups canned, roasted poblano or other green chiles
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent too much browning.
Add the flour and stir until it has coated the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 more minutes to take away the raw taste of flour.
Add the cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the green chilis and cook for one minute.
Slowly whisk in the broth and stir to break up any clumps. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce is sufficiently thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon while still being a little runny. If too thick, add more broth. If too thin, continue cooking until the sauce tightens some more.
For the filling:
2 Tbsp oil
½ large onion
1 lb ground turkey
½ tsp mild chili powder
¾ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
2 small or 1 large zucchini, chopped (about 1.5-2 cups)
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the turkey, chili powder, cumin, and salt and mix. Cook, stirring occasionally until no pink remains and the turkey is cooked through, adjusting the flame as needed.
Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the flame. Add the pinto beans and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more as needed.
For the casserole:
12-15 Corn tortillas
1.5-2 cups shredded cheddar or Meunster cheese (or a combo- about 3-4 oz total)
1 cup cotija cheese (about 3 oz)
1.5-1.75 cups green enchilada sauce (about half of the recipe, plus a few more Tbsps)
Preheat the oven to 350.
Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a brownie pan or casserole dish.
Lay out a tortilla and scoop 1-2 spoonfuls of the filling onto the middle of one tortilla. Sprinkle with a tbsp of cojita cheese and fold the ends to overlap in the middle. Carefully flip the bundle over and place into your casserole dish with the folded-side down. Repeat until the dish is full, squeezing as many tortillas as you can into the nooks and crannies.
Cover the folded tortillas with a thick layer of green enchilada sauce and spread into the corners. Top with shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or the cheese starts to look lightly golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.