A vegetable side dish that has the capability to transform several meals from plain to pizzazz! Italian Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes is easy, affordable, and absolutely delicious!
This dish was completely unplanned, which is unlike most of my recipes. In the world of food blogging, a blogger needs to always be a few steps ahead of food trends and seasons so that the blogger can capitalize on visitors to their blog, while providing new and tasty recipes to its readers at just the right time.
Let me explain. When you go to your local grocer or market, and you see an abundance of locally grown, fresh tomatoes. You can smell that distinct fresh tomato scent; the bright, red colours are popping, begging for you to pay even more attention. You pick them up, notice that there are no blemishes of any kind, and before you have a plan, you have placed them in your shopping cart and you’re heading to the cashier.
When you get home, you might think of a favourite family recipe, or you may have a recipe card stuck to your fridge with a magnet that you’ve been waiting to try. You remember that recipe you ripped out of the magazine at the doctor’s office a few months ago? Yes, it’s still there stuck to your fridge!
And maybe you’re more like me. You buy those tomatoes, place them in a bowl and sit them on your counter top. A day or so later, you know they are going to lose their freshness, so you type the words ‘tomato recipes’ into the search field in Google or Pinterest, and scroll down until one of those recipes jumps out at you. A food blogger wants to be the source of that recipe and therefore, needs to post the recipe a few weeks before locally grown, fresh tomatoes are readily available.
Eventually, as a food blogger, you’ll train yourself to always think ahead and think of recipes that will be in demand in two to four weeks time. I am usually on the ball with food trends or upcoming food seasons, but I can’t always be that organized. In this particular case, locally grown and fresh tomatoes and zucchini are not yet quite in season for me here in Toronto, but they will be very soon.
In my defense though, one of the grocers I shop at had great looking tomatoes and zucchinis, so I picked some up the last time I was there. I whipped up this side dish so that I could serve it alongside a vegetarian main, such as tofu or tempeh, etc. However, that didn’t happen. I had prepared the dish on a Sunday and we didn’t end up eating dinner, because we had all had a late lunch. On my way home from work on Monday, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a couple of flat breads. My plan was to brush them with olive oil, top them with Italian Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes, and a little mozzarella cheese. McKenna and John.e were going to love having flat bread pizzas for dinner!
At home, I set everything up, pre-heat the oven, and get ready to assemble. I look in the fridge for the container of Italian Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. That was when I remembered McKenna had eaten a few spoonfuls on Sunday night and raved about how great it was. I made my way down the hall to her bedroom and knocked on her door. “Did you eat the zucchini and tomatoes?” I asked. There was a pause, and then a response with a tone that suggested she thought she was in trouble. “John told me I could. I took it to school for lunch.”
Well, if you know me at all, a failed plan is crushing for me. I literally almost fall apart when things do not go according to plan. I was thrilled that she ate so many veggies for lunch, because usually she doesn’t eat anything. But what the hell was I supposed to do with those flat breads now? The Italian Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes were gone and so was dinner. I looked in the pantry, found a jar of basil pesto, smeared it on the flat bread and added the mozzarella. Both McKenna and John.e loved it. In protest, I ate just lettuce.
To assist with this recipe, consider using the following tools:
- Metal Slotted Spatula – these are great! You can easily lift the veggies off of the baking sheet without tearing them or leaving behind all of that cheesy flavour! I love my Pioneer Woman slotted spatula; the price is great and I use it regularly in my cooking.
- Baking Sheet – most home cooks have a selection of baking sheets and half baking sheets. I use this one so much I have two just in case!
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Italian Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the zucchini, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and ground black pepper to a bowl. Toss well to coat.
- Transfer the vegetables to a large baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from oven, top with the parmesan cheese, and return to the oven. Promptly turn off the heat, and allow the veggies to remain in the hot oven for five minutes.
- Serve immediately with fresh chopped Italian parsley for garnish.
Nutrition
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