Festive Veggies

By DiAne Gates

 Photos by DiAne Gates

We labor over the presentation of our main courses, our salads, and desserts. But often the vegetables appear to be an afterthought. This colorful dish can be made ahead of time, is versatile, and delicious. Just thirty to forty minutes in a 350 degree oven and your guests will be amazed!

Festive Veggies

And the best part is, you can vary the ingredients to suit your family’s tastes.

Ingredients:

 1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup butter

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 zucchini squash, sliced

1 yellow summer squash, sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

1 red pepper, seeded and sliced in large cubes

Salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon of thyme

½ cup of Parmesan Cheese

Drizzle of Olive Oil

Directions:

Sauté onions and garlic in oil and butter mixture ‘til tender. A sprinkle of salt helps this process.

Pour this mixture into baking dish. I used a round one, but a square or rectangular dish makes it easier to arrange vegetables. As you can see from the picture, stack the vegetables on top of the onion mixture in a shish-k-bob style, varying the colors. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle of thyme.

Spread ½ cup of parmesan cheese over top of vegetables and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in 350 degree oven 30 to 40 minutes. Drain most of the juice before serving. This dish is wonderful reheated. You can substitute or add potato slices to this mix, and a little scrape of fresh nutmeg is always a pleasant addition. Wonder how a sprinkle of Panko mixed with the cheese would do? I’m going to try that. Sure beats steamed vegetables, lying in the plate, doesn’t it?