As I looked at the garden today, I saw that I had a zucchini and many small tomatoes. I was having breaded Parmesan chicken with a salad and knew I needed a carb side dish. Many times I have made a gratin by layering whatever vegetables I had on hand, so I proceeded to cube the zucchini into 1/2 pieces, cut the small tomatoes in half and sliced the potatoes in 1/2 inch slices. I sprayed an 8x8 casserole dish with olive oil spray, threw in the zucchini cubes followed by the tomatoes. I layered the potatoes ontop and seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with 2 tablespoons of margarine. I popped it into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. By this time it was starting to bubble but I saw that it had produced a little more liquid than I liked. So I stirred in a tablespoon of Acini De Pepe and figured it would soak up the extra liquid from the vegetables. I baked for 15 minutes more and then topped with some shredded Parmesan cheese. I let this cheese bake for a few minutes and my casserole was just the right consistency. In addition, the little pasta beads had soaked up the additional liquid and were just yummy. The vegetables were glazed with a delicious sauce rather than sitting in liquid. This is so easy to make and bakes while you prepare the rest of your meal. Experiment with various vegetables and different cheeses. I am even thinking of layering some barley in my next casserole.
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