Tomato and Veggie Casserole

Tonight's dinner was a bit on the heavy side, so I thought Giada's Tomato and Veggie Casserole would be the perfect side. This was another recipe from her Family Dinners book - thanks again, Jennifer!!

I absolutely loved this dish. I adore roasting veggies rather than using frozen, but don't always have the chance to do it. Pat even asked me what I did to these veggies to make them taste so good.

It made a lot, but I'm glad - lots of leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into large chunks
• 2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. Spread vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Arrange the onion slices evenly over the vegetable mixture. Arrange the zucchini over the onion. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomato slices over the zucchini.

Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the Parmesan bread crumbs over the vegetables in the baking dish. Drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender, and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.