Who Needs Green Bean Casserole?

Whew!  Thanksgiving is over.  We had such a great holiday with both kids home.  The weather was warm on black Friday, so we spent some time hanging outdoor Christmas lights.  Our son came up with a crazy notion to wrap tree trunks, so we did.  It looks a little unusual, but we had a lot of fun, working until well after dark.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was a real feast.  The local farm-raised turkey turned out juicy and tasty.  At our house, there are the usual dishes that we always have at Thanksgiving -- stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and pumpkin pie -- but the vegetable dish is always up for grabs.  I will confess that I have never made nor eaten green bean casserole.  I like green beans, but the casserole just doesn't appeal to me.  This year, I made a kind of different vegetable dish, one that went perfectly with the sage and rosemary flavoring of the turkey and dressing.  I have also served this at Christmas because of the beautiful colors.  We got this recipe from our daughter's high school French teacher several years ago for a French Club dinner.  This picture is before the dish was baked.  Was too busy afterward to snap a picture of the finished product.

Zucchini and Tomato Bake

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I used 3)
1 pound tomatoes
1 pound zucchini
1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan or skillet over low heat and cook the onion and garlic for about 20 minutes until soft and golden.  Spread over the base of a 12-inch shallow baking dish.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.  (If the tomatoes are ver large, cut the slices in half.)  Cut the zucchini into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices.

Arrange alternating rows of zucchini and tomatoes over the onion mixture.  Sprinkle with the herbs, cheese, and salt and pepper.  (I omit the salt.)  Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Serve hot or warm.