End-of-Summer Vegetable and Fresh Herb Casserole

Photo by Magda Rittenhouse

This casserole just drips of summer. Adapted from The Big Book of Potluck, by Maryana Vollstedt.

• 4 potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), unpeeled, scrubbed, and sliced
• salt and ground pepper
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 large zucchini, unpeeled and sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil or 3/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian)
• 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
• 2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (this is very expensive here, so we use basic sheep’s cheese)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (again, we use the sheep’s cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. In a 9×13 baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray or oil, arrange half the potatoes in a layer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in layers half the tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onion rings, garlic, and herbs. Repeat the layers. Pour the broth evenly over the veggies and dot with butter. Do not stir.

Bake, covered, about 1 hour. Sprinkle cheeses over the top and bake, uncovered, until the veggies are tender-crisp and the cheeses are melted, about 10 minutes longer.