Cheesy Goodness (with lots of veggies!)

This recipe is NOT simple, I repeat, it is NOT simple! Okay... I'm being a little over-dramatic, but it did take me about an hour to chop and grate everything. Maybe if I had a food processor it would have been a little bit simpler. :) But, since I don't, I had to everything by hand.

Vegetable Pie with a Zucchini Crust

Adapted from:  For the Love of Cooking 

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, shredded and patted dry with paper towels (don't skip that part!)

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella, divided

1 cup fresh mozzarella  (optional but recommended)

2 tomatoes, diced

1 green pepper, diced

4 oz of presliced mushrooms

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded

2 basil leaves, chopped

dried oregano, to taste (skipped this because I didn't have any)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray. (I skipped that step and the casserole came up off of the dish fine.)

After you grate the zucchini, pat it dry with a few paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible. (I didn't remove enough moisture and my "crust" was more of a cheesy addition to the rest of the dish. I didn't mind it, but if you want a more crust-like texture, remove moisture!!)

Combine the zucchini with the eggs and 2 cups of mozzarella. Push the zucchini firmly into the casserole dish, forming a crust. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

After the zucchini has baked, layer the casserole with green pepper, mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, fresh basil, and then top it with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, the cup of fresh mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle top with dried oregano, to taste. (Omitted this step.)

Place into the oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

This dish reminded me a lot of a quiche. So, if you don't like to eat eggs, but don't mind them in a crust, then I definitely recommend this dish as an alternative to a quiche or egg casserole. This recipe could really be served for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner! It is extremely versatile and can be switched up to use whichever veggies you happen to have on hand. I hope you enjoy :)

xox, Jen