Cascading Kitchen Notes
This dish is so much more than the sum of its parts...very Gestalt! You don't need the meat for a rich, full flavor, but including it will add a hit of protein and make it a One-dish-dinner!
Domino-stacked Veggie Casserole
Preheat oven to 375°
In a large skillet over medium heat:
- Heat 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- Add 2 large yellow onions- sliced thin.
- OPTION: You can add 1 fennel bulb sliced into slivers and saute with the 2 onions. Save 1/3 cup fennel leaves to sprinkle on top after it comes out of the oven.
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cook for about 10 minutes until they're soft and just beginning to caramelize. They'll start to smell sweet.
Add
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In a 9 x 13 oven proof casserole dish:
-
- MEAT OPTION: Before building the casserole in the pan, mix 1 lb of Jubilee's Ground Beef or Lamb with:
- ¼ tsp salt,
- 1 clove of finely minced garlic and
- ½ tsp thyme
- MEAT OPTION: Before building the casserole in the pan, mix 1 lb of Jubilee's Ground Beef or Lamb with:
Press meat mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
Spread the onion mixture in the bottom of the baking dish (or on top of the ground meat if you chose that option).
Slice into thin rounds:
- 4 large zucchinis
- 6-7 small Yukon or yellow potatoes
- 4-5 tomatoes
Stand the vegetable slices on their sides, like dominoes, interspersed in this order: zucchini slice, tomato slice, potato slice until the tray is full on one side. Repeat for a second row of veggie dominoes.
Drizzle with 1 Tb of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated gouda or Pecorino Romano cheese
Wrap foil tightly around the dish.
Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes until it's golden brown and heated through.
Serve with the optional fennel leaves sprinkled artfully on top!