Zucchini, oh how I love you. How I love your color, your taste, and your undeniable superiority to other vegetables.

This dish screams fall to me. I actually made this at the end of the summer, but it didn't feel right posting about it when I could tell you about popsicles, pasta salad, and cucumber soda.

After being away for literally five weeks over the summer, I returned to have my main man Chaz, from Frank's Quality Produce, swindle me into buying all kinds of produce. I really enjoy buying my fresh stuff from Frank's not only for the Pike Place Market experience, but the people there are super friendly and knowledgable.

I had been reading my August issue of bon appetite on the plane and saw this recipe for Squash and Tomato Gratin and it sparked my idea for this dish. I spent the rest of the work day thinking about how I was going to make this for dinner.

It didn't disappoint.

I was never really a tomato lover and it's only been just recently that I've started to experiment with them in the kitchen. These looked so good it was impossible to resist the purchase.

But honestly the smell of those tomatoes with the shallot and garlic had me practically licking the hot skillet. Practically, people. I wanted to whip up some pasta and throw it in the pan (just throw it in the pan… why do I make these awful music references 24/7?) but I refrained. Somehow.

The sweet flavor of the tomatoes was really highlighted in this dish. I ate it as a meal but it would probably be better as a dinner side.

If it hadn't been 80 degrees I would have curled up with a plate and a blanket and watched Halloween movies all night.

Zucchini & Tomato Rosemary Gratin

Author: thepikeplacekitchen.com
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 45 minutes

Scale

Ingredients

1 zucchini
1/2 lb grape or cherry tomatoes
1 shallot
3 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Instructions

Remove the rosemary needles from the sprig and roughly chop. Combine the chopped rosemary, panko & regular bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion salt, and pepper in a food processor. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the mixture.
Mince the shallot and slice the garlic cloves and set aside. Quarter the tomatoes and place in a bowl (try to keep as much of the tomato juice as possible).
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the tomatoes to the skillet; allow to cook until juices start to bubble (about 2 minutes) then add in shallots and garlic. Allow to cook down for another 2 minutes.
Slice the zucchini into thin rounds and layer on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until zucchini is tender and breadcrumbs are toasted.