How to turn a side dish into an entire meal.
A few weeks ago I found this recipe for Zucchini Bake. I thought it looked amazing, mainly due to zucchini mixed with feta, but wanted to turn it into an entire meal. I also did this awhile back with my Greek Casserole. How do you make this transformation? Just add meat! Yep, its as easy as that. I swear bakes/ casseroles are my favorite meals to make. Its incredibly easy, fast, and there's little cleanup. On top of all that, no side dish needed for this meal! Plus, all the protein in this meal will keep you full for hours! Take out the feta cheese, and this dish is Paleo approved.PS. Carly, this is right up your alley. Your gonna love it!
Zucchini Sausage Bake
What you need:- 4 medium sized yellow or green summer squash, sliced lengthwise
- 1 lb Italian sausage, taken out of casing, crumbled, cooked until brown
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 Tablespoon Thyme
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup light sour cream
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry squash and cut into round slices. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add garlic and thyme, and saute 45 seconds. Add squash slices and saute about 4 minutes, turning a few times. While the squash cooks, break eggs into a small bowl and beat until egg yolks and whites are combined. Stir in sour cream, feta, Parmesan and lemon juice. Spray a glass dish with non-stick spray and layer with squash mixture. Top with cooked sausage, and egg mixture. Use a rubber scraper to spread over and bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot.
Lightly adapted from Kaylns Kitchen
I have had a lot of questions lately on how I make so many meals a week on a budget. The answer is simple, meal planning. I plan the meal out the week before, grocery shop every Sunday, and try to use everything in fridge by the end of the week. I know this can be time consuming but if you use similar ingredients in recipes for the week, you can save a lot of money. Next week I will try and post my meal plan ahead of time and include the groceries we purchase. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of the method.
