Vegetable Cheese Casserole

I got this recipe from my mother years ago (it was passed on to her by a friend, so I don’t know the original source). It’s a great side dish, or with the cheese and stuffing, can be used as a main dish if you’re vegetarian (and I’ve occasionally converted it to a gluten-free version). It’s been my “take everywhere” recipe for company dinners for years and a family favorite of even those who dislike mushrooms. It smells heavenly while you’re cooking it, too.

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8-10 as a side dish

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes   Cook Time: 30 minutes  

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small zucchini, peeled and cut into cubes
½ pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup packaged herb-seasoned stuffing mix*
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (you can use less if cheese is not your thing).

*I’ve made this as a gluten-free dish by cubing 3-4 slices of store bought gluten-free bread, toasting it in the oven and the sprinkling with a bit of poultry seasoning (or a combination of sage and thyme) and substituting that for the packaged stuffing mix.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in large skillet.
Saute onions and green peppers 3 minutes, stirring now and then.
Add zucchini and mushrooms and saute another 3 minutes, stirring a few times.
Add tomato, salt, pepper and thyme. Saute 3 minutes more, stirring a few times.
Butter 2 quart casserole and spread stuffing in bottom.
Layer ½ vegetable mixture over stuffing.
Cover with 1 cup cheese
Layer remaining vegetables and the other cup of cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Categories: Casserole, Gluten-Free, Potluck, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Submitted by: myrnamackenzie on May 4, 2010