Here’s what I was going for with this recipe: a dinner side dish that has three veggies, protein and a richly satisfying taste while not being too fatty or rich. In other words, I wanted healthy comfort food. And since I commonly cook dishes that will serve four to six people, even though it’s usually just my husband and myself at the dinner table, it’s always good if what I’m preparing also will be perfect for breakfast and/or lunch the next day. This dish meets all of those requirements.
Ingredients
Tuscan kale leaves to make about 3 to 4 cups sliced ribbons.
1 leek, sliced into rings
3 small to medium zucchini
1 cup low-fat milk
1 block feta cheese – enough to make about a cup of chopped feta – I used sheep’s milk feta
3 whole eggs, beaten
3 cloves garlic – I used roasted but you could also use raw, chopped fine
olive oil
freshly ground pepper to taste – you don’t need to add salt because feta cheese is already salty
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients for this quickly prepared side dish or vegetarian entree.
Take the rings of the white part of the leek and cook in a sauté pan until they begin to brown on the edges.
If you stop cooking the leeks as the thinnest ones begin to brown the rest will continue to caramelize just with the heat left in the pan once the burner is turned off.
Add the chopped zucchini, and kale to the dish and cook on medium-low for a few minutes, stirring. If you can’t stand there and stir, pour a little water, broth or white wine in the pan and cover it with a lid so that the veggies cook but don’t burn.
After the veggies are wilted, add the garlic and the feta cheese and stir to mix them together.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix the milk with the three eggs and beat well.
Put the mixture of veggies and cheese in an oiled square baking dish.
Pour the milk and egg mixture over the veggies and place in the oven to bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.
When the dish is bubbling on the edges and firm in the center, remove from the oven and let sit for about 8 minutes before cutting into serving sections.
This makes a great side-dish with meat or fish, or a good vegetarian entree. It is surprisingly satisfying but not too rich or creamy, so it’s not quite a flan or quiche or frittata, but more than just veggies. I love this briefly heated in the microwave for breakfast or lunch.
