Tiella Recipe

Tiella is a very special dish to me. When I was about 15, it was the first recipe my aunt taught me to cook. It is also the fist meal I cooked for my husband when we were dating. The dish is very popular among Italians in North Central West Virginia and a great way to use up all those fresh summer veggies from the garden. Supposedly, the word "tiella"(like so many Italian recipes) means pan, and was the type of pan used to cook the casserole. A vegetarian version can also be made by omitting the meat and is just as good! I make the vegetarian version for Christmas Eve and put stuffed calamari on top!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 5 par boiled potatoes, peeled and sliced (if using red potatoes, I leave the skin on)
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced same size as potatoes
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1-2 cups grated cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil and parsley chopped
• Salt /pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Instructions

Brown the meat in a skillet. Pour tomato sauce and water over meat mixture and let simmer about 15-20 min. Parboil potatoes. In another pan sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the fresh bread crumbs with the grated cheese, parsley, basil, salt and ground black pepper. In a pan or Dutch oven (I use my Le Creuset dutch oven) cover the bottom of the pan with the meat sauce, and then add a layer of potatoes, zucchini, onions and top w/ bread crumb mixture. Just like making lasagna repeat another layer and pour any extra sauce over the top, sprinkle the top w/ bread crumb mixture. Drizzle w/ olive oil and bake at 350 for 45 minuets or until veggies are tender!