This recipe has an amusing history! It’s a favorite dish from an old family restaurant in Milan. It was so popular that the recipe was printed and made available for the asking, but only if your I.D. showed that you were NOT from Milan! A great souvenir for visitors to take home from Italy. It’s perfect to prepare earlier in the day, and pop into the oven at dinner time. (You will mess up your kitchen putting it together!) As you scan the list of ingredients, you will think as I did, “How can this not be good?” A lovely vegetable dish to contribute to a group dinner.
7 or 8 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tsp. salt
8 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 slices light or dark bread, diced
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Cheddar cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 13 X 9-inch oven proof dish.
In a large saucepan, cook the zucchini in 1 cup of boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt until barely tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp; remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put into a bowl. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and saute 5 to 6 minutes,until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the bacon.
Stir the onion-bacon mixture into the drained zucchini; add the bread, cheese, Italian seasoning, remaining teaspoon of salt, pepper, and tomato sauce. Toss lightly until well coated. Spoon the zucchini into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 10-12
Note: I made 1/4 of this recipe for the two of us. In place of tomato sauce I used my favorite purchased marinara sauce from Rao’s.
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