Although I love meat, I also enjoy the occasional vegetarian dish too. One of my favourite vegetarian meals is courgette and tomato bake, which is a recipe I concocted one day when I happened to have tomatoes and courgettes in the refrigerator.
Our courgette and tomato bake is really quick and easy to make. It is something I sometimes make myself for lunch as there is enough for two days, or as a meal for the whole family. I also make it as an accompaniment to meat dishes instead of plain vegetables.
There is an ingredient that some people think is rather unusual (yes, it does say ready-salted crisps on the ingredients list), but this is a delicious topping. It adds a crunchiness to the cheesy topping, so you could call this a tomato and courgette gratin.
This dish will serve two people as a main vegetarian meal or four to six as a side dish. Usually, we eat it as a main course when we are having plant-based days, such as on Meatless Mondays. We have started to have the occasional day when we do not eat meat, both for health reasons and to save money.
Here is the recipe for courgette and tomato bake (zucchini and tomato bake) and some tips for adapting this recipe to your own tastes.
Courgette and Tomato Bake Recipe
Course: Accompaniments, dips, and sauces, Recipes, Vegetarian and Vegan RecipesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
msin ot 6 side dishes10
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Ingredients for the Courgette and Tomato Bake (Zucchini and Tomato Bake)
3 courgettes (zucchini)
20 cherry tomatoes (approx.), halved
6oz/ 170g crumbly cheese
2oz/ 60g butter
2 packets ready salted crisps (potato chips)
Salt and black pepper
Directions: How to Make the Courgette and Tomato Bake
- Preheat the oven to the highest setting.
- Thinly slice the courgettes and halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes.
- Cover the bottom of an oven-proof dish with a layer of the courgettes.
- Add all the tomatoes to the next layer.
- Continue adding layers with the remaining courgettes.
- Season the dish with salt and black pepper.
- Chop the butter into small cubes and place them across the top of the courgettes.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the courgettes have softened.
- Remove from the oven and crumble the cheese evenly over the dish.
- Open your bags of crisps and crush them by squeezing the packet until they become crumbs. Sprinkle the ready-salted crisp crumbs over the top of the cheese.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake until the topping has turned golden brown. This should take around ten minutes.
Additional Tips
- Meat lovers: If you are not a fan of vegetarian food, then simply add some ham or crispy bacon to the dish. Alternatively, serve it as an accompaniment to grilled or roast meats.
- Fish lovers: Courgettes and tomatoes work well with most fish, so this recipe is a great side dish to serve with your favourite fish.
- Switch the cheese: I use Lancashire crumbly cheese, and this is produced locally in the area in which I live. However, any crumbly cheese will achieve the same results. If you prefer cheese with a different consistency, switch to using cheddar, Mozzarella, or any other cheese of your choice. If you want to make this a vegan recipe, then use vegan cheese.
- Adding other flavours to courgette and tomato bake: I like this dish just as it is. However, there are plenty of other flavours you can add. Try adding garlic or herbs to give this a different twist.
- On a diet: You can reduce the fat content of this dish by sprinkling the vegetables with water rather than adding butter before cooking. Using low-fat cheese is another way to reduce the fat content. Rather than using ready-salted crisps for the crunchy topping, opt for wholegrain breadcrumbs instead.
If you enjoyed our tomato and courgette bake recipe, you might also like to try our recipes for eggplant Parmagiana or pan haggerty. Have you tried this recipe? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Updated on 16/01/2024