I’m a newlywed, and I’m not gonna lie, I know I’m one of the luckier ones.  Why, you ask?  Is it because my husband is so handsome, generous, and loving?  No!  (Well, yes, but this post isn’t about him, it’s about me.)  It’s because I have that thing that all newlywed women want: a mother-in-law that actually likes them, and vice versa.  Not only that, but she thinks I’m a good cook.  In fact, she even tells other people I’m a good cook!  It’s pretty awesome, hearing that from a woman who cooked for a family of four for over twenty years, a feat that makes me shudder to even consider.

At the last two family dinners, I’ve made a variation on this Provencal Vegetable Gratin recipe from the Food Network.  It’s a perfect side dish for just about any meal, as the flavors are bright and fresh and won’t detract from anything else you serve. Also? It looks pretty and like I spent way more time on it than I really did.

My version of the recipe goes something like this:

1 onion, thinly sliced
4 medium to large zucchini, cut into rounds of hopefully the same size
7 to 8 plum tomatoes, ditto on size
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 teaspoons fresh thyme (you can, and I have, substituted dried thyme with equal success)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375, and coat a 7 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a saute pan, add the garlic, onions, and salt. Let the onions cook for 5 – 6 minutes, until golden. Once the onions are cooked, spread them out in the bottom of your baking dish.

Toss your zucchini and tomatoes slices with some olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Arrange those in the baking dish in neat rows, on top of the onions, like so:

Toss that into the oven for about 30 minutes. Take it out at that point, and sprinkle the rest of your parmesan cheese on top of it. Bake another 10 – 15 minutes and your finished product will be this:

It really is a delicious and versatile dish. Don’t like thyme? Try basil or rosemary. Want to mix in the onions in with the tomatoes and zucchini? Go ahead! Well, maybe don’t – it won’t look as pretty. But any other changes are probably cool!