Tomato Season is Starting! Zucchini & Cabbage Casserole with Quick Cheese Buns

This is the time of year I go through the pantry to use up any left-over jars of tomato products from last year's harvest. The tomato harvest is beginning here but the weather has turned cool and blissfully rainy so an improtu casserole embarrassing fresh garden goodies will be wonderful tonight!


I am going to be needing the help of the gnomes and other magical beings to be able to things going for the tomato season. I haven't quite got the flow of the new kitchen and if you recall it is still undergoing renovations. I have a hand cranked food mill but this year I will be using KitchenAid attachments to speed up the sauce making. Still any help from gnomes and other magical beings will be greatly appreciated.

I'm working on my last few jars of roasted tomato sauce products and have been out of whole tomatoes for a month or so

Husked Corn

I did as my mom used to say "make hay while the sun shines" yesterday and froze up three dozen ears of yellow corn. The farmer gave us extra so it was a few more ears than that which is always a welcomed bonus! For those following our new kitchen remodel, no the installers have not arrived for the new coutertop despite several promises. We are toying with going right to ceramic tile as it appears it will be at least another two weeks before they can get out and yes I am rolling my eyes big time! So we might actually end up doing a DIY project instead. We know how to tile so the project itself is not daunting and had we known the installers were going to be this way we could have had the tile installed in time for our party the first week of August. At any rate we have to work with what we have for the moment and harvest season is not going to wait for a more convenient time.

I've made a few entries about freezing corn and my preferred method so search for vegetables or FoodSaver in the archives. I've been adding labels to earlier entries to make searching a bit easier for those interested. I've also been mirroring this blog given the latest nonsense from blogger regarding another one of my blogs. So watch for more information on that shortly.

Zucchini & Cabbage Casserole

I don't have a lot of home canned tomato sauces left to use up before the new season starts. With the weather turning cooler and rainy, tonight was a great opportunity to experiment. I took the flavour for this casserole from a family favourite, cabbage rolls then expanded on it to use up a few more bounties from the garden as well as using last year's preserves. This casserole would freeze well.

Zucchini & Cabbage Casserole

1 1/2 c cooked long grain rice
3 c lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 c blanched corn niblets
1 1/2 c shredded zucchini
1 1/2 c shredded cabbage
1/2 lg Spanish onion, chopped
2 pints home canned roasted tomato/zucchini sauce*
1 c extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c medium cheddar cheese, shredded

Prepare rice, ground beef and vegetables. Cut the kernels off of two cobs of corn and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain. Layer the casserole: beef, rice, vegetables. Pour the sauce over top of the casserole with just enough water to clean out the jars. Top with cheeses. Bake at 250ºF for 30 minutes or until warmed through. Increase heat to 350ºF until cheeses bubble. Remove from oven. Cut into squares for serving.

*substitute tomato sauce of your choice but it will change the flavour

Quick Cheese Buns

Quick breads and buns are a nice companion to casseroles. Bisquick or a homemade baking mix should be considered a pantry staple. Adding a few simple ingredients like cheese and seasoning turns plain buns into something special. The only limitation when adding extras to the mix is your imagination. These buns are so quick and easy to make so you will be tempted to make fresh buns often.

Quick Cheese Buns

2 c Bisquick or homemade baking mix
3/4 c sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 - 1 1/2 c milk

Mix ingredients together adding just enough milk to make a lumpy batter. Spoon onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until golden brown.