meal prep

Summer is quickly approaching! Considering all of the snow New Jersey has had these last few months, I personally am ready to welcome the warm weather. I try to steer clear (to the best of my ability anyway) from cooking heavy dishes like lasagna, stuffed shells, or any pasta with a creamy sauce. I always feel like it doesn’t go over well with guests and leaves them feeling tired and too full.

In the summer months, I desperately try to avoid using my wall oven. It generates so much excess heat throughout the house and can be very overwhelming, especially when I have company over. It’s terrible really!

That is why this new vegetable torte recipe, courtesy of our Sharp Chef Michelle, blogger for Sunkissed Kitchen, is a must try. It is chock full of fresh vegetables and has a sweet finish that will leave you wishing you made more than one. The best part? It is made hassle free in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven and takes only 30 minutes to cook.

This light summery dish is the perfect side for a barbecue with friends or possibly a classy brunch addition on a Sunday afternoon! Let us see your creation by tagging us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SharpHomeUSA.

First, you’ll want to make some wiggle room on your countertop to spread out your ingredients and utensils. To start, I would recommend using a mandolin slicer to slice your vegetables because it is a lot faster than trying to hand cut tons of slices in even pieces! However, if you are a bolder cook than I, thinly slice zucchini and summer squash with a medium knife.

In a medium bowl, crack and beat eggs for 3-5 minutes with a whisk, then add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and ground black pepper to taste. When I was a little girl, mixing ingredients was always so tiring. It always felt like I would be mixing for AGES when, in reality, it was only a few minutes. Needless to say, nothing much has changed, and I still use my hand mixer any time that I can.

Once you have beaten your eggs well, coat a large frying pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, toss in your onions and sauté for about 7 minutes or until the onions become golden brown. Once the onions reach your desired doneness, add in sweet corn, salt, and pepper to taste and cook for 2-3 additional minutes.

When you are finished sautéing your onions and corn, you’ll want to grab your springform pan. As a tip, line your springform pan with parchment paper to avoid having your egg leak out through the bottom of the pan. If you don’t have something to line the pan, set your pan on a baking tray to catch the egg that may spill out while cooking. When all else fails, remember that your Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven is super easy to clean inside and outside by simply using a damp cloth.

Once you have lined your pan, add 2 layers of zucchini around the bottom of the springform pan. I always do this by placing one layer horizontally, and then the next layer vertically. Proceed to top the zucchini layer with 1/3 of the corn mixture, 1/3 of the cheese, and a drizzle of about 1/3 of the egg on the layer to help it hold together (in this recipe, the egg is your metaphorical glue). You’ll then want to repeat this technique until you have 4 layers of zucchini and 3 layers with corn, cheese and egg.

After you have added all the layers, it is time to toss this dish in your countertop oven for 26 minutes on Bake/Reheat at 400º F. Then, allow the pan to set for 20-30 minutes before cutting slices.

This vegetable torte screams summer. Serve with a side salad for an evening meal, or serve with fruit for a delicious breakfast. Recipe note: This zucchini pie is great cold and makes a great meal-prep breakfast option!

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