Recipe for Zucchini Bake with Feta and Thyme

A delicious side dish with zucchini, yellow squash, eggs, Feta, sour cream, parmesan, and thyme.

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  I am just starting to get zucchini and yellow squash in my garden, and this is favorite zucchini side dish will be on the menu soon!)

This is a recipe I came up with to use the surplus of zucchini in the garden, so I'm begging for understanding from readers who don't have garden veggies available. The good news is that this recipe can easily be made with zucchini and yellow squash from the store or farmers market too. I consider this to be a season-spanning vegetable side dish, but with the protein from a couple of eggs and the feta cheese, it could easily be a main dish too.

The first time I made this I used three eggs and only 1/2 cup of feta. It was good, but the second version with only 2 eggs and a cup of crumbled feta was definitely better (in my feta-obsessed opinion.) This makes about six servings, so even with the increased amount of feta, it's less than an ounce per serving, and my favorite sheep's milk feta has only 6 grams of fat per ounce (4.5 grams saturated fat) so I think even with the increased amount of feta this is a pretty South Beach Diet friendly recipe.

I love thyme, and like to experiment using it in dishes where you might not expect it, so I used fresh thyme leaves in this. If you don't have fresh thyme, you can easily use dried thyme.

I used two medium-sized yellow squash and two medium-sized zucchini, which gave me almost 8 cups of sliced squash. (That's a giant 8-cup measuring cup that I inherited from my stepmother, and which I absolutely love.) I used my mandoline to cut the squash into even 1/4 inch slices, but you can cut it with a knife as well.

I sauteed the garlic and thyme leaves for a few seconds to flavor the oil, then added the squash and cooked it about 4 minutes. It will cook a lot more in the oven, so it doesn't need to be very cooked at this point.

While the squash cooks, beat the eggs and then stir in the sour cream, crumbled feta, parmesan, and lemon.

Layer about half the squash in the bottom of a casserole dish, then season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. (Not too much salt, because feta is pretty salty.) I used this two-quart casserole I bought with a gift certificate I got from teachers at school.

Then pour about half the feta-egg mixture over the squash and use the back of the spoon or a rubber scraper to spread it over the surface.

Layer the rest of the squash and the rest of the feta-egg mixture over the top of it. You can season the top with pepper if you forget to season the second layer like I did! bake at 375F/190C for about 40 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling, slightly set looking, and lightly browned on top. Serve hot.

Zucchini Bake with Feta and Thyme
(Makes about 6 side-dish servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

4 medium-sized yellow or green summer squash, or a mixture of colors, sliced lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices (about 8 cups sliced squash)
1 T olive oil (or less, depending on the pan)
1 T minced garlic
2 T fresh thyme leaves or 1 T dried thyme (or less if you're not that fond of thyme)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 cup crumbled feta (not tightly packed)
2 T grated parmesan cheese
1 T lemon juice
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Wash and dry squash, then cut off stem and blossom end and discard. Cut squash lengthwise in half, then slice into half-moon slices about 1/4 inch thick. (I used a mandoline with the 7mm blade, but you can use a knife.)

Heat olive oil in large non-stick frying pan, add garlic and thyme leaves and saute about 45 seconds (just long enough to season the oil, don't let the garlic brown.) Add squash slices and saute about 4 minutes, turning a few times. Squash should be barely starting to soften.

While squash cooks, break eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup and beat until egg yolks and whites are combined. Stir in sour cream, feta, parmesan, and lemon juice.

Spray a 2 quart gratin dish or glass casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. Layer half the squash in the dish, then season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. (Remember the feta is salty, so it won't need a lot of salt.) Pour over half the egg-feta mixture and use the back of a spoon or a rubber scraper to spread it over the squash. Repeat with another layer of squash and the rest of the feta-egg mixture.

Bake at 375F/190C for 40-45 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling, slightly set, and top if lightly browned. Serve hot.

This will keep in the fridge for a day or two. For best results, I recommend reheating in a toaster oven. Do not freeze.

Printer Friendly Recipe

South Beach Suggestions:

Feta is pretty low in fat compared to a lot of other cheeses, and using light sour cream and olive oil, plus only a small amount of parmesan makes this a good choice for any phase of the South Beach Diet. If you're a South Beach Dieter, I'd stick to a moderate serving size and go easy on the fat for the rest of the meal. This would taste great with something like Southwestern Pot Roast or Grilled Fusion Chicken.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

More Recipe Ideas Using Zucchini:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Ten Delicious Zucchini Recipes from Kalyn's Kitchen
Meat, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups from Kalyn's Kitchen
Raw Zucchini Salad with Lemin, Herbs, and Goat Cheese from Kalyn's Kitchen
Raw Summer Squash Salad with Arugula, Lemon, and Herbs from Kalyn's Kitchen
Herbed Zucchini and Feta Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust from Closet Cooking
Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin from Karina's Kitchen
Zucchini and Chickpea Panckes from Just Hungry
Zucchini Cuajado from Sephardic Food
My Mom's Zucchini Lasagna from The Italian Dish
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

(This recipe was first posted as an entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Chriesi from Almond Corner. WHB is now managed by Haalo, who has posted the rules and who's hosting for your information if you'd like to participate.)