Checkerboard Vegetable Squares
photo by Brooke the Cook in
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese (can also use ricotta cheese)
- 1 1⁄2 cups saltine crackers, coarsely crushed (approximately 25 crackers)
- 1 teaspoon dried fine herb (Herbs of Provence or Italian Herbs)
- 2 -4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach
- 3 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into strips
directions
- Combine first 3 ingredients (cottage cheese, saltines and fine herbs) in mixing bowl and set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add squash slices, and saute 5 minutes. Spoon into a lightly greased 8 inch square baking dish.
- Spread half of cheese mixture evenly over squash slices.
- Place spinach in skillet and saute 3 minutes, adding 1 tablespoon butter if necessary to prevent sticking. Spoon spinach evenly over cheese mixture.
- Spread the remaining cheese mixture evenly over spinach layer.
- Slice tomatoes into 9 equal pieces. Saute, just enough to soften slightly. Layer them on top of the second cheese mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Arrange mozzarella cheese strips on top to resemble checkerboard, and bake 10 more minutes.
- Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes: cut into squares. Serve immediatly.
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Reviews
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I really really like this recipe. I made it in May and (shame on me) forgot to rate it then. Since it made too much for us, I froze half of it. I thawed it out today, August 5, 2008, slowly in a covered non-stick skillet and it was delicious! And it still looked good! The directions were not clear at the time, but I bumbled through and it turned out fine. Sexy Momma, thanks for a keeper. And thanks to loof for a great photo.....Janet
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Sadly, the instructions to this recipe are very unclear.... #3 and 4 sort of repeat, but not exactly; it's never very clear when and where to put the tomatoes, the second half of the cottage cheese mix, spinach, etc. I wasn't sure what 'fines herbes' to use so I used herbes de provence and I wouldn't recommend it. I'll use Italian herbs next time. I used an 8x8 dish making no substitutions and found that it was full to the brim - next time I'd be sure to use a 9x9 or at least an 11x7. I also noted that the instructions don't say to dry the spinach (and I didn't) but this caused a good deal of soggyness (I should have known to squeeze it dry). I still give the recipe 3 stars because I think it has potential for being a really neat vegetarian recipe that is low in calories while being very filling and easy to make and I do intend to make it again with a few changes.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Hello, Everyone!
My husband and I met in college, at Viginia Tech. GO HOKIES!! My major was Nutrition. The science of food is amazing to me. I love to cook and love to eat even more! Currently, I do not work outside our home. We have a baby boy, who is 2 now. I love to see how he decides to eat his food and what he thinks after tasting it.
For fun, I enjoy making new recipies and trying to come up with my own, which I call train wrecks.
My favorite recipes are ones that do not have a long list of ingrdients and the ingredients it calls for are ones that I generally keep in the pantry.
It makes me feel good when my husband tells me the meal I have prepared is a keeper and one to make again. I love him even more when he tells someone else about something that I make. The most feel good thing for me is when my mom asks for the recipe. My mother is the greatest domestic "Chef de Cuisine", or Head of the Kitchen, in my opinion.
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