Italian Style Veggie Bake - Simple & Fresh Low Carb

This evening, youngest son came for dinner. Since our temps made it up to a "balmy" 47 degrees today, I decided to have hubby grill up some boneless skinless chicken thighs and chicken breast cutlets. I simply spritzed them with a bit of olive oil and then seasoned with McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning before hubby grilled them. They cook super quickly which is good since the outside temperature dropped quickly as soon as the sun began going down.

While hubby was grilling the chicken, I cut up some beautiful small young zucchini and yellow summer squash I picked up at the store today. They were about 6 inches long and only about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter. I sliced about 1 cup of fresh mini San Marzano tomatoes, diced a bit of onion and minced some garlic to cook with them. I originally had planned to just saute the veggies and serve them that way but decided to make an Italian Style Veggie Bake with them instead. I snapped a few photos as well as included my easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Italian Style Veggie Bake

Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 small zucchini, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
4 small yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 cup sliced or diced fresh mini or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or Parmesan)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent and beginning to turn golden and caramelize. Add minced garlic and saute another minute. Add zucchini and yellow squash; cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until tender-crisp. Uncover and cook until most of the juices cook off. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmesan. 

Spread half of the cooked vegetable mixture in bottom of prepared casserole dish. Layer with fresh mozzarella and torn basil. Top with remaining half of cooked vegetables and scatter shredded Parmigiano Reggiano on top. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. If desired, run under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes for cheeses to set. 

*Note: To control amount of juices on plate, serve with a slotted spoon, then spoon on sauce as desired.