It all starts with the obvious: big fat green summer zucchini. NO EXPLANATION NEEDED says the whole zucchini-growing world. I think I’m almost almost allllmost ready to break up with these big summer greenies, but it’s that kind of pre-break-up fling where you can’t not go back for just one more cheesy slice or puffy muffin or lasagna square or dare I even mention coff-ee-cake even though you know it’s probably in everyone’s best interest for you to call it quits on the relationship. It’s complicated, okay?
HOW TO MAKE OUR CORN & ZUCCHINI PIE (45 SEC):
My mom made a zucchini pie at the cabin this year and it blew my mind. It was a little different than my version because hers was baked in a crust. Wait for it: a flaky buttery omigosh croissant crust. It was utterly heaven-sent after a long day playing out in the sun and I won’t even tell you how many slices I had. //three//
My sister and I raved, kissed our mother’s feet, ate one more slice, and proceeded to have a 5 hour food conversation about how you could make variations by adding different kinds of crusts, including more types of vegetables, and baking into different shapes. Like, uhh, rectangles, cause creativity runs wild in my family. We became obsessed wi– okay okay fine I became obsessed with making all the meals of summer somehow circle back to a big, cheesy zucchini pie.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons butter
- half of a yellow onion, diced
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 2 large zucchini, sliced very thinly (about 4 cups)
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces shredded cheese (I used both Mozzarella and Swiss)
- 4 eggs, beaten
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, zucchini, and mushrooms. While the veggies saute, cut the corn kernels off the cob. Add them to the pan and continue to saute until the veggies are soft, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Once the mixture has cooled for a few minutes, stir in the basil, oregano, salt, cheese, and the beaten eggs. Line a pie pan (9-inch or larger) with parchment paper or just grease a pan with nonstick spray. Transfer the mixture to the pan. Arrange the top so the zucchini slices lay flat and look nice. Top with a little extra cheese for looks, cover with greased foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to brown the top. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting into slices.
NOTES
It will bubble up a little bit as it bakes, so put a pan under to catch drips if it’s really full. Also, there was a little extra watery-ness (about 2 tablespoons) in the bottom of my pan when I sliced it, but the pieces held together perfectly so NBD. I think the moisture could be prevented by just being a little more patient before cutting. I sprinkled mine with fresh herbs (parsley and cilantro) like I always do on everything. Basil would also be yummy.
