Smoked Sausage and Veggie Grilled Foil Packs

Have you been grilling a lot now that it's finally summertime?  We sure have.  It's one of my favorite things about summer.  One of my favorite food companies, fellow Hoosiers Red Gold Tomatoes is hosting their third annual Summer Grilling Giveaway now through July 22.  During this time, Red Gold is giving away a Large Big Green Egg each week, as well as 800 insulated tote bags.  Wow!  To get in all that prize-winning action, head over to their Facebook page to enter.

You may think it's odd for a canned tomato company to be hosting a grilling promotion.  Canned tomatoes on the grill?  Sounds weird, huh?  It's not!  Canned tomatoes can be used in multiple ways on the grill.  Red Gold asked me if I would like to create a recipe showing people how versatile their tomatoes are.  Of course!  I love experimenting and finding a way to use canned tomatoes on the grill was a challenge I was definitely up for.  Last summer I made Ranch BLT Grilled Chicken Burgers that had the tomatoes inside the burger.  This time I went in a totally different direction.  I threw some smoked sausage, potatoes, my family's favorite veggies, and some Red Gold diced tomatoes inside a foil pack and put it on the grill.  Everything cooks together; it's like the grill version of a one-pot meal!  The other great thing about these is that since each person has their own pack, it's completely customizable.  Awesome!  Here's how I made them.

Smoked Sausage and Veggie Foil Packs

Ingredients:

4-6 red potatoes

8 oz. baby carrots

1 head broccoli

1 medium zucchini

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 (14 oz.) can Red Gold diced tomatoes

Your choice of seasoning

14 oz. smoked sausage

Olive oil

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat.

First, prepare your ingredients.  Slice the smoked sausage and cut up all veggies.  Make sure the potato cubes and carrots are smaller than softer veggies like zucchini.  If you want to do it make-your-own style, lay out all ingredients on plates or in bowls.

Lay out a piece of heavy-duty foil about 18" square.  Spray with cooking spray.  Pile the veggies of your choice on one half of the foil.  Sprinkle generously with seasoning.  Lay some smoked sausage slices on top and drizzle all with olive oil.  Fold the other half of the foil over the food and crimp the three open edges.  If desired, use a Sharpie to write a name or initial on the top of the foil for easy identification after cooking.  Repeat this process with as many packs as you like.

Turn the grill down to medium-low and place the packs on it.  Close the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Flip each pack over and also rotate them on the grill.  Cook another 10-15 minutes.  Open one of the packs and test a potato or a carrot for doneness.  If not quite done, cook another few minutes.  When done, remove the packs from the grill and cut them open.  You can eat them out of the foil, or transfer the contents to a serving bowl.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

These are all the veggies I used for my family, but I didn't put each veggie in each pack.  My girls don't care for mushrooms or zucchini, so I left those out of theirs and put more broccoli and carrots in.  The baby carrots I had were somewhat skinny, so I left them whole.  If you have the fatter kind, you might want to slice them length-wise.  I used paper plates because I didn't want to dirty up that many dishes!

 Since the smoked sausage is already seasoned, I put the veggies down first and seasoned them before adding the sausage.  I know it all gets jumbled up anyway, but I think this helps the seasonings stick to the veggies better.

 Smoked sausage and tomatoes go on last.  I forgot to get a pic of the packs after I assembled them, but you've probably seen a foil pack before, right?

 Fresh off the grill.  We cooked them for about half an hour and my husband's and my kids' packs were totally perfect.  Unfortunately, mine was totally overcooked.  That's why I put in the recipe to rotate the packs because mine must have been sitting over a hot spot on the grill.

This was mine.  You can see that the zucchini was total mush, but the everything else was okay, save for a few slices of sausage that burned.  It's hard cooking food you can't see!  But I think if we had rotated the packs, they all would have been perfect.

While you can certainly use any veggies you like in these packs, I do highly recommend using the canned tomatoes as well.  Not only do they provide a nice acidity to balance out the fat, but they also add moisture and keep the packs from drying out as they cook.  

So now that you know you can use canned tomatoes on the grill, head over to Red Gold's Facebook page  for your change to win a Big Green Egg in their Summer Grilling Giveaway.

What I'm Reading Right Now

Mary Poppins

by P.L. Travers

Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King

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Skillet Lasagna

Can you believe it's the second half of January already? Time flies when you're busy!  We have been super busy since the kids finally went back to school (after Christmas break and multiple snow days).  Weeknights have changed a lot around here in the last year with me working part-time (today is my one year anniversary!) and with my oldest daughter having homework every night.  I used to be able to cook pretty much whatever dinner I wanted on whatever night I wanted to, but not anymore.  I really need quick-cooking dinners on weeknights that are easy enough that my husband can throw them together if I get bogged down helping Lena with her homework.  He's not inept in the kitchen by any means, but simple is always best on these busy nights.  I recently created this awesome recipe that is perfect for these nights.  Not only is it ready in about half an hour, with pockets of time when you are able to leave it and go do something else while it cooks, but since it cooks all in one pan, you have only one pan to clean up afterwards.  I love that!  

The lovely folks at Red Gold sent me an nifty little package of tomatoes, lasagna noodles. an apron, and a coupon for Laura's Lean Beef and invited me to participate in their "Red Gold Simple Gourmet Lasagna Party".  Do you love lasagna?  Lasagna isn't something I have mastered, so I looked forward to an opportunity to work on my lasagna skills. I have two main lasagna hang-ups: 1. I don't like ricotta cheese, and 2. it is a complicated dish with lots of prep work, then a really long baking time.  Ain't nobody got time for dat!  Well, maybe somebody does, but I don't!  The lasagna recipe that I came up with fixes both of those issues.  I replaced the ricotta with a mixture of cream cheese, parmesan, and garlic powder.  Yum.  And I cooked the entire thing on the stovetop.  It was ready, from start to finish, in half an hour or less (I didn't time it exactly.)  It's not layered like traditional lasagna, but the taste is the same and you really feel like you're getting the whole "lasagna experience".  

Skillet Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 (14.5 oz.) cans Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
⅔ cup water
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (I use Penzeys Tuscan Sunset)
11 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
½ cup cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp Parmesan
½ tsp garlic powder
2 oz. mozzarella pearls

Directions:
Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet.  Add the onion and sauté until tender.  Add the ground beef and cook until browned.  Drain off grease if necessary.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and Italian seasoning.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Add noodles, stir, and replace cover.  Cook for 10 minutes, or until noodles are al dente.  Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, and garlic powder.  Drop by spoonfuls into the pan and gently fold inside.  Place mozzarella pearls on top and cook for another 5-10 minutes, covered, to melt. Top with freshly grated Parmesan or Fontina, if desired.  Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings.

This is how I broke up the lasagna pieces.  I assumed that you would have to use no-boil noodles for something like this, but I was wrong!  Regular lasagna noodles work perfectly.  If you happen to have some no-boil (aka oven-ready) noodles or you want to speed up the cooking even more, I think that you could use them as well.  They are thinner and more delicate than regular, so be gentle with your stirring.

If you can't find mozzarella pearls at your store, you can buy a mozzarella ball and just cut little pieces off of it.  Of course, you can always use shredded instead, but I like the looks of the pearls.  Makes it seem fancier somehow.

My family loved this!  While it was cooking I steamed some green beans in the microwave and threw some garlic bread under the broiler and dinner was done.  Easy peasy. Both of my girls made a point to tell me how much they loved it.  We had just a little bit leftover and it was quickly gobbled up for lunch the next day.

Give this a try the next time you get hungry for lasagna but don't have all day to devote to making it.  And be sure to head over to Red Gold's Facebook page to enter for your chance to win one of 750 aprons or one of 6 Gourmet Lasagna Party Prize Packs which include a Le Creuset Lasagna pan.  It ends February 3rd, so go enter now before you forget!

What I'm Reading Right Now

Mary Poppins

by P.L. Travers

Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King

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Sausage, Spinach, and Brown Rice Skillet

I have two things for you today: a great meal-in-one recipe and the winner of my Red Gold apron giveaway.  I'll start with the recipe, so scroll down to find out the giveaway winner.

This is one of those convenient one-pot meals.  Well, it can be.  I made the rice separately, but if you want to do it all together, just pick up some Ready Rice.  I don't use that stuff very often, because I am home a lot and have no excuse not to make my own brown rice, but I like to keep a package or two on hand for rice "emergencies".  It can be your best friend on those super busy weeknights when you only have a few minutes to get dinner on the table.  (No, this post is not sponsored by Uncle Ben's; I just like that rice!)  My kids absolutely love brown rice, so we have it at least once a week, if not twice.  They also love sausage, so I thought this dish would be a big hit with them.  It's adapted from Cooking Light.

Sausage, Spinach, and Brown Rice Skillet

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

½ large onion, chopped

1 lb. ground sausage

6 cups fresh baby spinach, torn into pieces

1 tomato, chopped

3 cups brown rice (homemade, or 2 pouches Ready Rice)

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet.  Sauté onion until it softens.  Add the sausage and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink.  Add the spinach and the tomato, stirring until spinach is wilted.  Stir in brown rice and season with garlic powder and smoked paprika.  Cook another minute or so, stirring constantly to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Makes 4 servings.

I was right; my kids loved this recipe.  They aren't huge fans of spinach, but they tolerated it in this dish.  I left out the Parmesan, and I thought it needed a little something for color.  I had some vine-ripened tomatoes in my produce basket, so I chopped one up and threw it in there.  That was a great addition, not only for the color, but it also added a punch of brightness and acidity.  Worked out really well.

Speaking of tomatoes, it's now time for me to announce the winner of my Red Gold apron giveaway.

The winner is: Bonnie Boucek!  Congrats, Bonnie!  Check your inbox for an email from me!

I used Random.org to choose the winner:

A huge thanks to all of you who entered my giveaway.  I wish I could give all of you an apron!  :)

What I'm Reading Right Now

Mary Poppins

by P.L. Travers

Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King

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Ham and Vegetable Gratin

Did you make a ham on Christmas?  If so, you probably have some leftovers in your freezer.  I love having ham leftovers.  There are so many things you can do with leftover ham.  Today I'm sharing with you an awesome one-pot dinner using cooked ham.  Ham and four different veggies in a velvety cheesy sauce and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs.  I found it in Food Network Magazine and changed it up a bit.  Here's how I make it.

Ham and Vegetable Gratin

Ingredients:

5 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium Yukon potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and ½” dice

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups ham, chopped

¼ cup flour

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp salt

1½ cups low sodium chicken broth

⅔ cup 2% milk

¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1½ cups panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees°.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, potatoes, carrots, and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ham, flour, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and cook, stirring, until combined. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then stir in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cheddar cheese.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the panko and cook, stirring constantly, until the panko is slightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Scatter over the ham and vegetable mixture; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Isn't it beautiful with those perfect golden brown crumbs on top?  

This dish is so yummy!  It's kind of like a pot pie, but with a crunchy topping instead of pastry.  The sauce is so flavorful with the garlic and paprika.  You can leave out the cheese to make this a little healthier, but I'm all about the comfort foods this time of year.  This is definitely comfort food; perfect for a cold January day.

Now, I'm categorizing this as a one-pot meal, even though technically the recipe has you toasting the panko in a separate pan.  If you really want to only wash one pan, then toast the panko first, remove it to a bowl or plate, and proceed with the rest of the recipe.  The only difference is that the breadcrumbs won't be hot when you serve it, but that should be ok because the filling will be hot enough to warm them up when you put them on top.

This is so good that if you don't have any ham leftovers, you need to go to the store and buy some ham just for this!

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Turkey Leftovers: Turkey Spinach Bacon Quinoa

Last week I shared with you five great Thanksgiving recipes, covering a main dish, three sides, and a great dessert.  This week I thought I would post two recipes using leftover turkey.  This one is really great because it is completely removed from the traditional Thanksgiving dinner flavors.  It's a delicious jumble of quinoa, bacon, spinach, and turkey.  It's adapted from Mom Foodie.

Turkey Spinach Bacon Quinoa

Ingredients
½ tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup of quinoa
¼ or ½ tsp dried thyme
3 cups turkey stock
1½ cups roasted turkey, diced
½ cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add onion and cook until it begins to soften.  Add bacon, garlic, bacon, and quinoa. Fry until bacon has crisped, onions are soft, and quinoa is well toasted. Toss in the thyme and stir to release flavors.  Pour in the stock. Reduce heat to low-med, and cover to simmer.
After 10 minutes, add turkey and spinach, then simmer until liquid is absorbed.

Makes 4 servings.

This is such a great one-pot meal.  And eating quinoa and spinach will make you feel a little better about all of that holiday indulging you did a couple days earlier (if you are really concerned about that, you can leave out the bacon).  

I adjusted some of the quantities, but the biggest change I made to this recipe was that the liquid was supposed to be part turkey (or chicken) stock and part buttermilk.  I made it that way the first time, but one of my daughters is allergic to dairy, and I am lactose-intolerant, so I was really curious to see if it would turn out okay with all turkey stock and no buttermilk.  I made it that way the second time, and it was just fine.  I really couldn't tell that much of a difference.  So I have made it this way ever since.

I make this dish whenever I have diced turkey to use up in the freezer.  I buy a couple of extra turkeys at Thanksgiving time because they are so incredibly cheap, and cook them throughout the year.  This is always the first thing I make with the leftovers.  It goes over really well with my family, who have embraced quinoa wholeheartedly.

 This dish is a cinch to put together and is great for busy weeknights.  It would also work well with chicken, in case you love it so much you want to make it again even after all of your Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. :)

LeAndra from Love and Flour chose this recipe when she was assigned my blog for the Secret Recipe Club in December 2013.  Click on the button below to see her version.

And Aimee from See Aimee Cook also chose this recipe when she was assigned my blog for the Secret Recipe Club in April 2014.  Click on the button below to see her chicken version.

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Zucchini Sausage Skillet

Still looking for ways to use up all the zucchini from your garden?  Here's a great recipe for you.  This is perfect for a busy weeknight because it's fairly quick and cooks all in one pan.  Only one pan to clean!  I love those recipes.  The other thing I love about this recipe is that it contains twice as much zucchini as sausage, but my family didn't even notice.  Not only is it a great way to stretch out your food budget (feeding a family of 4 on half a pound of sausage), but it's healthier too.  I've been doing a meatless meal about once a week for a long time now, but I have also recently started trying to reduce the amount of meat in our other meals too.  Don't worry; I'm not leaning towards becoming vegetarian.  I just think it's a good idea to try to incorporate more veggies and less meat at each meal.  And like I said, so far my family hasn't noticed one bit.  This recipe is slightly adapted from one I found at Better Homes and Gardens.

Zucchini Sausage Skillet

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
½ lb. ground Italian sausage
1 lb. zucchini (about 2 medium), chopped
1 (10¾ oz.) can 98% fat-free condensed cream of celery soup
1 box Stove Top stuffing mix, lower sodium chicken variety
1½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions:
Heat oil over medium heat in a broiler-safe 12-inch skillet.  Add onion and cook until beginning to soften.  Add sausage, cook until brown. Drain off fat. Add zucchini to skillet and cook, covered, until it has reached desired tenderness, stirring often.

In a large bowl, combine stuffing mix and broth to moisten.  Preheat broiler to high.

When zucchini is tender, stir cream soup into skillet.  Top with moistened stuffing mix.  Place skillet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until brown on top. 

Makes 4 servings.

I know some of you are put off by the fact that it uses cream of something soup.  I don't use it very often, but I do keep a can of it in my pantry for "emergency" dinner situations.  It makes this recipe perfect for busy weeknights.  You can always make your own sauce with a simple roux and some chicken or beef broth.  The original recipe called for half cream soup and half sour cream, but I omitted the sour cream because my youngest is allergic to dairy.  The cream soup often contains some dairy also, but it's usually a small enough amount that it doesn't bother her too much (she's three and her allergy is starting to get better).

You might find this a little heavy on the stuffing topping.  It can easily be cut in half, but I used the whole package because my kids love that stuff.  

If you are not sure your skillet is broiler-safe, one thing I would recommend doing is to wrap the handle in foil.  Usually it's the handle that is the least heat-safe.  That also helps to remind you that the handle is really hot after you take it out of the oven.  I've had major problems with that in the past!

My husband and both kids (3 and 5) all raved about this recipe.  

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Creamy Sausage and Pasta Skillet

Wondering what to make for dinner tonight?  I've got a great weekday recipe for you today.  It's one of those super awesome "one pot" meals, where everything cooks in one pot.  Yep, even the pasta cooks right in the sauce.  I love meals like this.  I started with this recipe at Plain Chicken and ended up changing it quite a bit to suit our tastes and the ingredients I normally have on hand.  It turned out great.

Creamy Sausage and Pasta Skillet

Ingredients:

14 – 16 oz. smoked sausage, cut into half moons

2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup tomato sauce

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

8 oz. farfalle pasta (bowtie)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

½ cup light sour cream

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook until lightly browned.  Drain off grease.   Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and onion and garlic powders.  Add farfalle, cover, and bring to a boil.  Boil lightly for 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.  Stir in peas.  Turn heat to low and stir in sour cream. Remove from heat and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Isn't it amazing how easy this is?  Basically, dump everything in a skillet and let it cook.  I've made this twice now and it's been a big hit with my family both times.  Since my youngest daughter is allergic to dairy, I simply take some out and set it aside before I stir in the sour cream.  The first time I made this I used rotini, but I like it much better with the farfalle.  You can use any short-cut pasta that you have on hand.

The combination of the bright tomato flavor and the creaminess of the sour cream is terrific.  And I love the fresh "pop" that the peas provide.

But mostly, I love how easy this meal is to make, and to clean up.  Just one pan and a couple of measuring cups.  Just perfect for those busy weeknights.

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Improv Challenge: Curried Ground Turkey with Vegetables

It's the third Thursday of the month and that means it's time for another great Improv Challenge. The premise of the Improv Challenge is easy: each month there are two assigned ingredients.  The participants must make a recipe using both ingredients and blog about it.  

This month's assigned ingredients were peas and carrots.  Peas and carrots, huh?  Not overly exciting ingredients, but ones I use very regularly, several times a week.  I didn't spend much time trying to be innovative and do something super creative with peas and carrots.  I'm sure somebody will do dessert, but this month I decided to go with something more standard.  I've had this recipe in my food photo file for several months, but hadn't gotten around to posting it yet.  Peas and carrots aren't exactly the main ingredients here, but they play an important role, so I thought it would be good for this challenge.  It's a slight adaptation of one I saw at Simply Recipes.

Curried Ground Turkey with Vegetables

Ingredients:

3-4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb. ground turkey 

½ large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

1” fresh ginger, grated

¾  cup water

1 tbsp curry powder or garam masala

1 lb.  potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” chunks

1½ cups matchstick carrots, cooked (3-4 mins in microcooker)

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp salt

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Rice or flatbread (optional)

Directions:

Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sauté onion until it begins to soften.  Add the ground turkey, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until it browns.  Add the garlic and ginger; mix well and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.  Mix in the curry powder or garam masala, water, and potatoes. Stir to combine and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

When the potatoes are tender, add the carrots and peas. Mix well and cover the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add salt, if needed, to taste.

Right before you serve, mix in the chopped cilantro. Serve alone or with flatbread or white rice.

Makes 4 servings.

I love this recipe for a couple of reasons.  First, I love how it uses ground turkey.  Ground turkey is widely available, healthier than ground beef, and affordable.  I usually end up with a couple of pounds in my freezer, but can't think what to do with them.  Using ground turkey makes this recipe super easy.  Second, I love how you can change up the spices if you want to get a different flavor profile.  The original recipe called for either garam masala, curry powder, or your favorite Indian spices.  I used 1 tbsp sweet curry powder, mixed with 1/4 tsp hot curry powder.  The ratio may sound off, but the hot is really hot!  It doesn't take much.  I want to try this with garam masala next time.  I also like how you can easily change the veggies to suit your tastes too.  I want to try it with sweet potatoes sometime.

Most of all, I love how easy it is to make this delicious one-pot recipe.  I love one-pot recipes!  They make busy weeknights so much easier. And frozen peas and matchstick carrots are a cook's best friend on those nights.

This dish was a big hit with my family.  My husband and both girls loved it.

So the next time you pick up some ground turkey but aren't sure what to make with it, try this recipe out.

Check out the collection below to see all the other great peas and carrots recipes and come back next month to see what I make with eggs and bacon. What a yummy assignment!

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One Pot Summer Squash, Beef, and Rice Skillet

This morning I learned that today is National Zucchini Day.  And, as it turns out, I have made three new zucchini dishes in the last day and a half!  Not intentionally, but I love zucchini and the ones at the store were looking really good the last time I was there, so I stocked up.  I know a lot of people are looking for zucchini recipes this time of year because their gardens are full of it.  We didn't plant zucchini, so store-bought has to do for us.

Well, I couldn't decide which of the three zucchini recipes to share with you today.  So I decided to put it to a vote!  I posted pictures of all three dishes on my Facebook page and let my fans tell me which recipe they would like the most.  A couple of people voted for the burger recipe, but the one-pot skillet was by far the winner.  So here you go!  This is an adaptation of a recipe I read in Everyday Food yesterday during lunch.  Yes, it was lunchtime and I still wasn't sure what were having for dinner.  Jim brought in the mail and in it was my magazine.  I started looking through it as I was eating and came upon this recipe, Summer Beef-and-Rice Casserole.  I had to change it a little bit because it was part of a week-long menu and called for ingredients leftover from another meal.  So I adapted it to work as a standalone dish.  It turned out great!


One Pot Summer Squash, Beef, and Rice Skillet

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh soft breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
24 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 cup water
1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 small zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 small yellow squash, very thinly sliced
Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475°.  Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and olive oil in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

Brown ground beef in a large (12”) skillet with an oven-safe handle.  Drain well and return to skillet.  Stir in the marinara sauce and water and bring to a rapid simmer over high heat.  Stir in rice.  

Carefully arrange zucchini and yellow squash slices over the top, slightly overlapping each other.  Season well with salt.  Top with breadcrumb mixture.

Cover skillet with foil and bake in preheated oven 12 minutes.  Remove foil and return to oven for another 10 minutes, or until top is golden brown and rice is cooked.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings.

I know that the title is a bit of a mouthful, but it has to tell you what all is going on this thing!  It's a casserole chock full of ground beef and rice in your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu's Sauteed Onion and Garlic), then topped with super thin slices of yellow squash and zucchini and crunchy Parmesan breadcrumbs.  The greatest thing about this is that it's a one pot meal.  Everything cooks in the skillet, even the rice!  I LOVE that.  Besides the skillet, the only other things I dirtied up making this was my mandoline, and the small bowl I mixed up the breadcrumb topping in.  That's awesome!

I doubled the rice from Martha's recipe because half a cup didn't seem like very much, even raw.  I thought the end result was a tad heavy on rice, but my husband said, "Don't change a thing! It was perfect!"  Okay, okay!  This was a HUGE hit with my family.  Lena, my four-year-old, asked for seconds, my husband wanted to go back for thirds, but knew that he shouldn't, and Eva, my two-year-old, ate two servings, then finished off the rest of Lena's second serving that she didn't finish.  And still asked for more!  (I had to remove the topping from hers because of her dairy allergy, but she didn't seem to mind!)  I think it would be really good with ground sausage too, so I'll probably try it that way next time.

Look at her shoveling it in with both hands!

My favorite part was the zucchini topping.  Mmm, so good!  I love zucchini and yellow squash just by themselves, but then to add crispy Parmesan breadcrumbs on top?  Oh my!

This was such a huge hit and so easy to make that I will definitely be making it again many times in the future.

Happy Zucchini Day!

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