Since we are going up to Boothbay this weekend, I wanted to find a way to incorporate all of these summer vegetables in one dish because I knew they wouldn't be in the best condition by the time we returned home. I've recently seen a lot of zucchini lasagna dishes that use thin slices of zucchini in lieu of the pasta. Using this as an inspiration, I decided to make baked summer vegetable stacks.
First, I started out by slicing the eggplants and summer squash lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices. Bret tossed the vegetable slices in olive oil with salt and pepper, and then...you guessed it, threw them on the grill. My fiance is obsessed with grilling!
While the vegetables were on the grill, I gathered the rest of my ingredients - Maplebrook Farm Mozzarella and Bove's Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce. Both of these are made in Vermont as I'm always happy to support local New England food products.
Of course, I also had to use some crushed red pepper flakes too!
When the vegetables had some nice grill marks, I warmed the oven up to 400 degrees and began preparing my vegetable stacks in a roasting pan that I had prepared with baking spray. I put down a layer of the grilled eggplant and summer squash and then added a layer of sliced mozzarella.
I then spooned on a layer of the pasta sauce.
The last step was to add the crushed red pepper flakes before doing another layer of vegetables, mozzarella, sauce and crushed red pepper flakes. I sprinkled the entire dish with some grated Parmesan cheese and then put the pan in the oven.
The summer vegetable stacks baked for about ten minutes and then were broiled on low for another five minutes.
The end result was a ridiculously messy but ooey gooey delicious meal.
My summer vegetable stacks were a cross between lasagna and eggplant parmesan....and absolutely perfect! I'm looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
I've been cooking a lot more this weekend but I'm definitely looking forward to take a weekend off with some friends in Maine!
Tell me, what are you looking forward to this weekend?
24 comments:
This looks really good and its a healthier alternative to traditional eggplant parm!
Love maplebrook mozzarella. Looks so good browned and gooey.
This looks amazing! I LOVE that you grilled the vegetables first. I'm with your hubby - everything tastes better on the grill!
I swear, mozzarella make every vegetable better! :-)
I have this weekend off and I'm enjoying it with my in-law family! Pool party!
This looks amazing, I am fan of all things mozzarella and tomato sauce... lasagna...chic and eggplant parm so this is right up my alley!! Have fun in Maine!!
looks so fresh and delicious.. healthy too!
Yum! I'd be hungry a half hour later though, so I'd have to add meat.
This looks absolutely amazing! We are going on a mini staycation and keeping the weekend super low key. I am very excited. Have fun in ME!
i made eggplant lasagna last night!!! it was AMAZING! it was my first time cooking eggplant and i was happy my italian boss could give me some tips! yours looks super yummy as well.
YUM. Christopher made something really similar this week - so easy and flavorful. Have a great time in ME! One thing I'm looking forward is actually NOT being in Maine this weekend - been away for 4 in a row!
oooh this sounds so good! I love the idea of grilling them first!
Anything topped with mozzarella sounds good to me! Love that you guys are grilling everything, it's making me wish I had a grill too!
i just got two huge eggplants in my csa, and something along these lights might have to be done :) fabulous! have a great weekend!
Like individual veggie lasagnas - love them! I convinced Jeff to go to the tomato festival at Wilson Farm, so we are heading there in a little bit!
These look incredible! I hope you are enjoying your weekend up in Boothbay! you deserve it. xo
I love eggplant parm, and making it "healthier" is always a challenge! My mom just got a big ol' eggplant and we have grand plans for it this week :)
Great idea for the squash. I can completely understand the grilling obsession...we've been throwing everything on the grill ourselves. It tastes so great and there's hardly any clean-up...what more could you ask for?!
Love all that melted cheese on top - yum, looks like the perfect way to use up the bounty from your mom!
Love the dish, bubbly and super tasty:)
These stacks look wonderful! What a great way to use up vegetables at their peak.
This looks so delicious... I'll have to make this soon while there is still summer produce around!!
I love this kind of thing -- it looks great. Thanks for the step-by-step photos. They are awesome!
Love this spin on the zucchini lasagna!! We just pulled 4 big summer squashes from teh garden haha!
Brilliant move! This looks absolutely spectacular. I've been grilling up eggplant like a fiend this summer and have been looking for something else to do with the leftovers other than make baba ghanoush
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