Two of summer's stellar vegetables are layered here, along with a few other choice ingredients, to make a delicious baked gratin. As soon as it's pulled from the oven, fresh Parmesan cheese is sprinkled over the top.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

3 cloves garlic, crushed
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (see Tip), divided
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 medium zucchini (about 1 3/4 pounds total), sliced on the bias about 1/4 inch thick
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or similar gratin dish) with cooking spray.
2. Place garlic, basil and thyme on your chopping board; mince well. Spread half the breadcrumbs evenly in the prepared baking dish. Strew onion over the breadcrumbs. Distribute half the diced tomato over the onion, then sprinkle with half the garlic-herb mixture. Sprinkle with vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a third of the zucchini; you want it to sauté, not stew, so don't crowd it. Sauté, turning the pieces once, until golden and not quite tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. When the slices are done, use a fork to transfer them to the gratin, overlapping the slices. Cook the remaining zucchini in two batches, each time using 2 teaspoons oil. Strew the remaining tomatoes and garlic-herb mixture over the zucchini. Season with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and a grinding of pepper. Toss the remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle over the gratin.
4. Bake the gratin until bubbly hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 302 calories; 15 g total fat (3 g sat, 9 g mono); 7 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrate; 11 g protein; 7 g fiber; 532 mg sodium; 885 mg potassium.


Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (80% daily value), Vitamin A (40% dv), Potassium & Selenium (25% dv), Folate (23% dv), Magnesium (21% dv), Calcium (20% dv).


2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 medium-fat protein, 2 fat

TIP: Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs:
Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup crumbs.

Loved it!! Of course I didn't look at the recipe or the time it took to make it before I started, and it did take longer then I had planned, but its a definite repeater! I bet you could make it up a day ahead before you cooked it in the oven. Might try that next time.

Cyndi , Charlottesville, VA

I, of course, had to make some substitutions to this based on what I had in the pantry but it turned out great! I used seasoned bread crumbs from the store and then left out the fresh basil and thyme. I'm sure it's better with the fresh. My husband loved it. It is definitely a repeat.

, Austin, Te

Excellent side dish!! Other than the time involved browning the zucchini (which took forever!) the recipe came together pretty quickly. I blended the herbs, garlic & onion in my mini cuisinart then mixed with canned roasted toms. I spread the breadcrumbs, the tom mix, the zucchs, more tom mix & more breadcrumbs on top. Baked for about 20 minutes and an hour later, done! Leftovers were even better.

Marie, Long Beach, CA

Forgot to mention i used seasoned breadcrumbs, dried thyme and basil paste. I didn't use the parmesan. The flavor wasn't lacking a bit.

Marie, Long Beach, CA