Farmers Market Parmesan Herb Roasted Veggies

I’m so happy this time of year.  There’s something so beautiful about fresh from the garden veggies and herbs.  Throughout this past winter and spring we’ve been enjoying Parmesan Herb Roasted Potatoes.  Why not show our baby squash and spring onions the same kind of love?!

To prepare, simply toss the sliced veggies in olive oil, shredded parmesan cheese, an assortment of fresh herbs, garlic cloves, salt & pepper.  Lay them in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake them at 375 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to brown.  Farmers Market Parmesan Herb Roasted Veggies make a wonderful side dish or vegetarian lunch.  And leftovers are so happy when added to Farmers Market Minestrone Soup.

Here’s a variation of this same recipe using different squash and plum tomatoes.  Equally as delicious.  The possibilities are quite exciting.

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The next time you visit your local Farmers Market have this recipe in the back of your mind.  In fact if you arrive near the close of the market, which means the ‘prettiest’ veggies will have been picked over, you’ll often find farmers willing to let their remaining produce go at a reduced price.  Perfect for making a giant batch of Farmers Market Minestrone Soup which allows you to {Share the Love}.

When I make this beautiful soup I like to use a couple cooking methods to get to the end result.  I most always start my soups with a mirapoix (trio of diced onion, carrots, and celery) sauteed in a heavy bottom pot.  For this batch I also diced and sliced up an assortment of squash varieties and a few tomatoes and oven roasted them.

Roasting veggies allows them to begin to caramelize adding flavor and texture.  A wonderful combination in this tomato based soup.  Whether tomatoes are abundant at the market (the rain has pushed them back in our area) or whether you use canned tomatoes (preferably No-Salt Added), the end result will be amazing.

There are so many variations to Minestrone Soup.  I wanted ours packed with nutrients and protein so I added red kidney beans and white beans.

I also cooked up some Ditalini pasta as an optional add.  When making a giant batch of soup that inevitably will be reheated a couple times (or frozen), I like to keep the pasta separate so it doesn’t go from dainty to daunting (not to mention sucking up all your glorious veggie broth).

We’ve decided starting each week with a pot of Farmers Market Minestrone Soup will not only keep us happy, but make for some very tasty (and healthy) lunches.

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Farmers Market Minestrone Soup {Share the Love}

Course Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4-5 assorted summer squash medium diced
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 1 large onion diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 3 celery ribs diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 28- ounce can diced tomatoes no-salt added
• 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
• or can use 5 lbs. fresh tomatoes skins and seeds removed
• 1-2 cups vegetable broth depending on desired thickness
• 1 Tbl. dried oregano
• 1 Tbl. dried basil
• 1-2 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 cup frozen
• 1 14- ounce can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
• 1 14- ounce can Great Northern white beans rinsed and drained
• 6 oz. dried small pasta such as Ditalini
• freshly cracked pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese grated for topping

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat shallow baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Toss diced squash and zucchini in 1 Tbl. olive oil and spread in a single layer on baking sheet and roast for 10 – 15, until just beginning to brown.
• Meanwhile cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside. In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, add 1 Tbl. olive oil and saute onion, carrots, and celery over medium heat until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant about 1 minute. Add in tomatoes, broth, oregano and basil. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 5 minutes.
• When squash is lightly browned add to the soup, along with the canned beans. Adjust seasoning to taste and heat through, stirring occasionally.
• When ready to serve add about 1/2 cup of cooked warm pasta to the bottom of individual soup bowls. Top with hot Minestrone Soup. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

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This Warm 7-Layer Salad is addicting and gorgeous.  There’s so much going on here.  Layers and layers of going on.  Every bite is unique and delicious.  All credit to Rachel Ray for this fabulous recipe.  I must admit I was a bit skeptical the first time we made it, but once we took the first bite we were all in.  That may have something to do with the wonderful bacon flavor infused throughout the layers.

Let’s build this salad.  Shall we?!  Which by the way I did in 37 minutes from start to finish, including taking pictures of each layer.  You can do it in 30.  To begin, cook 6 slices of bacon until crispy.  Remove to drain on paper towels.  Pour off bacon drippings into a heat proof bowl and reserve.  While the bacon is cooking, prep your next ingredients.

Layer #1 ~ Green Beans

Into the same skillet that the bacon was cooked in, add about a 1/2 cup of water and the green beans and simmer over medium heat until the water has evaporated and the green beans are crisp tender.  Season with salt and pepper and add those to the bottom of your oven proof bowl.  I used my trifle dish to show off these gorgeous layers.

Layer #2 ~ Summer Squash

Remember the reserved bacon drippings? Add 1 1/2 tsp. of drippings into the same skillet with your diced summer squash.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until beginning to lightly brown.  Season with salt & pepper and add the squash on top of the green bean layer.

Layer #3 ~ Cherry Tomatoes

Add 1 1/2 tsp. of reserved bacon drippings to skillet.  Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes until warm.  Season with salt & pepper and add on top of squash layer.

Layer #4 ~ White Beans

That’s right, add 1 1/2 tsp. of bacon drippings to the skillet, then add the drained and rinsed white beans.  Saute for a couple minutes until heated through then add on top of the tomato layer.  This is the point in the original recipe where I veered off course.  The recipe instructs you to now place the dish in the oven for 10 minutes to heat the veggies.  I was fighting the light needed for good pictures.  The way I saw it, my veggies all went in hot, so I skipped this step.  Warm is key though, so if your layers have cooled off I recommend warming them in the oven.

Layer #5 ~ Romaine Lettuce

Layer chopped romaine lettuce on top of the warm veggies.

Layer #6 ~ Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese is the next layer and goes right on top of the lettuce.

Layer #7 ~ Greek Yogurt

You can see from the picture that I got ahead of myself and started adding the bacon before taking a picture of the Greek yogurt layer.  Which illustrates my confusion as to why this wonderful salad is called 7-Layer Salad.  The Greek yogurt is essential and becomes the dressing for this salad.  Trust me, you will not need any other dressing.  The yogurt mixes with the juices of the warm veggies and is fabulous.

Layer #8 ~ Crispy Bacon

The last step to complete this salad is to sprinkle on the crumbled crispy bacon.  It’s how we started this dish and it is the icing on the cake that finishes it!!  Here at Lemony Thyme we’ll call this the Warm 8-Layer Salad, giving full credit and praises to Rachel Ray for creating the recipe.

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Warm 7-Layer Salad {or is it 8-Layers}

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 8 ounces green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium yellow squash diced
• 20 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 14- ounce can white beans rinsed & drained
• 1 heart romaine lettuce chopped
• 4 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain; pour the bacon drippings into a small, heatproof bowl. While the bacon is cooking, prepare other ingredients.
• Add the green beans and 1/2 cup water to the skillet and simmer over medium-high heat until the water evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an ovenproof glass bowl (Layer #1).
• In the skillet, heat 1-1/2 tsp. of the bacon drippings. Add the squash and cook over medium-high heat until light brown; season with salt and pepper. Spoon the squash over the green beans (Layer #2).
• Add 1 1/2 tsp. more of the bacon drippings and the tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes; spoon over the squash (Layer #3).
• Add another 1-1/2 tsp. of the bacon drippings and the white beans to the skillet and heat through; season with pepper and spoon over the tomato layer (Layer #4). Bake the vegetables until warmed through, 10 minutes.
• Top the baked vegetable bowl with layers of the lettuce (Layer #5) and cheddar cheese (Layer #6). Top with the yogurt (Layer #7), then crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top (Layer #8).

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