Baked Courgette & Tomato Gratin
A dish made out of desperation!
With a couple of raised beds in my garden, and weather that has been less than perfect, but crazy enough to make my courgettes grow to gargantuan proportions, this is just one of the monsters i’ve got to use!
Big, but not the biggest courgette in my garden right now!
Hence the overabundance of courgette recipes that are about to follow in these pages.
All honesty, this isn’t a new dish, and I’m glad it’s not as it means I’ve had time to make sure the flavours are just right.
Lots and lots of basil ,both dried and fresh, with tons of black pepper, all goes to make the tomato sauce luxurious , layered and as if it has spent hours on the stove top being mixed with love.
This tomato sauce is a keeper!
It’s great to use again and again in so many things, from topping a pizza to standing alone and using as a sauce to eat with pasta for a quick dinner.
With the fresh basil adding not just extra flavour but a lovely pop of green throughout the vibrant red sauce, I know you’ll find it as useful and as delicious as I do.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
Let the top bake nice and dark so the centre gets piping hot
What You Need
4 Large Courgettes – Slices lengthways - See Tip Box
400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves – Minced
2 x Balls Soft Mozzarella
50g Plain Flour
50g Cornflour
1 Large Egg – Beaten
Olive Oil for drizzling and for the pot
100g Breadcrumbs
100g Parmesan – Grated
100g Pine Nuts
1tsp Dried Basil
Handful Fresh Basil Leaves
2 tsp Salt Flakes
½ tsp Castor Sugar
Salt & Pepper
Let the courgettes drain for at least 1 hour to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
How It’s Done
Set the oven to 180c
Sprinkle the sliced courgette with salt flakes, and lay them into a colander.
Place a plate over the courgette and sit a heavy bowl on top of the plate.
Leave the courgette to drain for around 1 hour
Once the hour is up, wipe the courgettes dry before using them
Place the pine nuts into a dry frying pan and let them heat up until they begin to colour -See Tip Box
Once coloured, remove from the pan and set aside.
Watch the pine nuts very carefully, they change from just right, to something for the bin, very quickly!
Heat 1 Tsp of the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.
Add the tin of tomatoes, castor sugar, minced garlic, dried basil and salt and pepper to taste to the frying pan.
Use the back of a fork and squash the pieces of tomato against the pan so there most of the lumps are gone from the sauce.
The sauce has reduced and the fresh basil gives it even more depth
Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, and let it cook for around 5 minutes until it has reduced a little and thickened up
Tear up the fresh basil, throw it into the pan and give it another stir.
Turn off the heat and set aside until needed later.
Brush some olive oil around an oven dish and set aside until needed
Mix the cornflour, flour, salt and pepper onto a plate.
Beat the egg and pour it into a separate plate
After patting the courgette slices dry, dip them into the egg and then into the flour mixture to coat each side of the slice.
The first layers
Lay half of the slices on the bottom of the prepared oven dish.
Pour half of the tomato mixture over the courgette slices and smooth out so it covers the layer of the courgettes.
Break up one of the balls of mozzarella and lay chunks of it over the top of the tomato layer
Use the rest of the courgette to layer on top of the mozzarella, followed by the rest of the tomato sauce followed by pieces of the last mozzarella ball.
Place the breadcrumbs, toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan into a bowl and mix really well to combine all the ingredients.
Mix the bread crumbs, pine nuts and parmesan together for the topping
Place all the bread crumb mixture over the top of the dish, making sure to cover it all and into the corners.
Place the dish on to an oven tray and into the hot oven to bake for approx. 40 – 60 minutes, until its bubbling, the centre is piping hot and the top is a dark golden brown – See Tip Box
Serve hot
Lots of the topping layered over the gratin ready for the oven
Tip Box
Courgette – As you can see from the photos, I used a giant courgette from my garden. Because of the size, they have a lot more liquid than the smaller courgettes, so if this is you, make sure they are well drained and well dipped in the flour mixture.
Pine Nuts – 1) Once coloured – immediately remove them from the hot pan, as they will continue to cook.
2) Keep a close eye on these nits while they are cooking, it can be a couple of seconds from just right to compete burnt.
Cooking – 1) f the top of the dish starts to get too dark before the dish has finished cooking, cover loosely with foil until its finished cooking.
2) All ovens vary so adjust cooking times accordingly
Layers of courgette and tomato sauce topped with crispy pine nut and breadcrumbs
