Courgette gratin

Ingredients

75g rice

3 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 medium courgettes sliced 1/4-inch thick

10 tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon thyme

100g grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F/230C/gas 8.
2. Put courgettes & tomatoes on a baking sheet, season and toss in 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake for 15-20mins. Leave the oven on.
3. If you have a dish that will transfer from hob to oven, use this to gently fry the onions & garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cover the pot & leave them to cook for 10-15 mins on a low heat until they're really soft. Try not to let them burn.
4. Cook the rice according to your favourite method/packet instructions.
5. Take the onions off the heat & add the rice, eggs, thyme, & cheese. Stir, then add the tomatoes & courgettes along with any oil in the pan. Mix it all together well. Season according to taste.
6. Bake until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
7. Enjoy as is, or with a crisp green salad.

Variations

To add some extra nutrition, I think this dish would be really nice with some beans (like butter or cannelini) mixed through it.

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)