Spiral Stunner Veggie Bake

This dish is a labor of love, and is best accomplished if you have either a mandolin slicer and/or a food processor with a slicing attachment, and some ingredients may need to be sliced by hand due to size, so just be prepared to undertake this dish with a healthy dose of patience!

Servings: 8-10

Equipment: 9 x 13 baking dish (I used an oval size, but you can use whatever you have on hand)

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled (I used 1.5 large sweet potatoes)
• 1 medium eggplant
• 2-5 green zucchinis (I used 5 total, 2 for the slices and 3 for the “ribbons”)
• 2 yellow zucchinis
• 4 rainbow carrots (any carrots will do, but I like the purple and white/yellow ones for added color)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Finely slice all the veggies (except three of the green zucchinis) to make thin disc shapes.
3. Lightly grease the baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, toss the largest size slices lightly in olive oil and arrange them around the perimeter of the baking dish, layering/overlapping as you go. I set a smaller bowl inside my baking dish to help keep the outer layer standing up as I made my way around the dish.
5. Continue adding layers of veggies however they fit best, with the largest pieces on the outside and the smaller pieces toward the center, tossing them lightly with olive oil before adding them to the dish.
6. Thinly slice the remaining whole zucchinis lengthwise (“long” or “hot dog” style), to create long thin ribbon-like slices. They can be rolled up into “rosettes” and placed in the heart (middle) of the baking dish.
7. Once all of your veggies are arranged, brush all surfaces with a little more olive oil, and toss on some seasoning if desired. I used “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning blend.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, and then increase heat to 400 for another 10 minutes. This dish can also be broiled on low for about 3 minutes after the full oven time, to get a little char on the edges of the veggies.

Note: I chose to keep this dish clean and simple, but you could make it more decadent by adding a crust base, with a pesto (or any sauce) and cheese layer on the bottom under the veggies!

Serve with Fancied Up Festivus Meatloaf and Roasted Veggies for a healthy, filling, and colorful meal!

Approximate Nutritional Information for 1 serving (based on 10 servings):

Calories: 106, Fat: 5g, Carbs: 16g, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugar: 7g, Protein: 3g