Zucchini, Corn and Bacon Crepes #SundaySupper

It´s back to school time at our Sunday Supper table, hosted by the talented Nicole of Daily Dish Recipes. That means today, you lucky mommas with kids will get an incredible array of savory recipes to help you through days of waking up early, carpooling, buying last minute how-come-you-didn´t-tell-me-you-needed-this school supplies, lunch boxes, you know, the usual pre- and post-school activities.

I don´t have kids, but my house was full of teenagers at one point, since many years ago I had stepchildren. Not one, not two, but five. Though I didn´t send them to school every morning I had to feed them, during weekends, month long vacations and many days in between. So some recipes entered the rotation and were real life saviors.

These filled crepes, or canelones like we call them here, are ideal for an army, like I used to have since it was my five angels + one or more friends per each one of them. Do the math and that´s a lot. When you have a big household somehow it just gets bigger at dinner time. Things like grabbing a piece of fruit and going to watch some TV before falling asleep were non-existent. They needed to be fed. Of course, many mouths come with many different taste buds, thus needing different recipes to accommodate all.

I used to make crepes and freeze them. The fillings are endless, and especially good if you have different vegetables or bits and ends of meat and chicken lying around in the fridge. Just start chopping, cutting, sautéing, grating and mixing. Fill your crepes, line them up in a pan, open your bottle or can of sauce, into the oven and suddenly the table is full of laughing faces and happy bellies.

If needed, it´s like a pizza topping, one half for the meat lovers and the other half for the vegetarians. Just throw some chopped chicken or ground beef along with, or instead of,  the bacon in the skillet. 

This particular filling is one of many that I made many times and is usually a crowd pleaser. You will be happy because you fed them some vegetables, the bacon will make everyone else happy. And then there´s the amount of cheese that we need to discuss. A good amount of cheese inside the filling and more on top of the sauce and I can guarantee you´ll see happy faces. There´s something about a bubbly, cheesy dish coming out from the oven. I´m getting hungry just writing about it. 

After I cover my crepes with the tomato sauce, I dot some fat pieces of queso fresco on top, before the parmesan. I know queso fresco comes up in many recipes; I use the kind that has an exceptional melting quality. Perfect for pizza also.

I give you the recipe for crepes and for the tomato sauce I use. The former comes from a great little book written by Michel Roux and it became my absolute favorite one, I think it´s the cream… The tomato sauce comes from my former mother-in-law (grandmother of the teenagers) and couldn´t be simpler, a bottle or can of crushed tomatoes gets mixed with a few other staple ingredients that simmers away while you put together your canelones. Both can be made in advance and frozen, which I highly suggest you do if you have the time. You can use store bought crepes and tomato sauce of course.

ZUCCHINI, CORN AND BACON CREPES

12 crepes (recipe below) or use store-bought

1 ½ cups ricotta cheese

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 or 2 thick bacon strips

1 large zucchini

1 cup corn kernels, thawed if using frozen

Salt and fresh black pepper

Tomato sauce (recipe below) or use store bought

Queso fresco cubed, about ½ cup

Mix ricotta with ¼ cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Reserve.

Cut bacon slices into thin strips. Start cooking them over low heat on a large skillet.

Slice zucchini in half lengthwise, remove the first layer of seeds and chop into pieces. Add to skillet with browned bacon. Add salt and cook for a few minutes over high heat. If zucchini releases water cook until it evaporates. Add corn and cook for an extra minute. Add black pepper and check salt. Let cool for a while.

Preheat oven to 400ºF /200ºC.

Place crepes on a flat surface. Put 2-3 Tbs of ricotta distributed along the center. Put 2 Tbs zucchini mixture on top. Roll crepes to form a log and place on a buttered oven dish. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.

Put tomato sauce on top of filled crepes, dot with queso fresco and then sprinkle parmesan.

Bake for 15 minutes until hot, bubbly and cheese is melted.

Makes 6 sevings.

Ready to go into the oven

CREPES

from Eggs, by Michel Roux

Note: this recipe can be easily doubled, which you might want to do if you plan on freezing the crepes. I use an 8-inch non-stick skillet. The batter might become a bit thick after the waiting time, so you might want to add 1 Tbs of water before making the crepes. It can also be refrigerated, covered, for a day before using.

¾ cup all purpose flour

Large pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup cream

In a medium bowl combine flour and salt. Add eggs and whisk until you have a smooth paste. Add milk and mix well until no lumps remain. Add cream.

Let rest for 1 hour.

Preheat crepe skillet, dot with the tiniest bit of butter and, pour ¼ cup batter. Distribute evenly and cook, over medium-high heat, for 2 minutes or so, before turning it over and cooking for another minute.

Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining butter.

Makes about 12/15 crepes.

If not using immediately wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Tomato Sauce: Put 2 cups crushed or canned tomatoes (I use bottled) in a medium saucepan. Add 1 or 2 cloves peeled garlic, 4 or 5 fresh sage leaves, 1 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat until it thickens. 

Take the time to go through all the amazing recipes the whole Sunday Supper group cooked today. Check out their sites, you won´t be disappointed!

• Greek Dogs by Supper For a Steal
• Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad by Magnolia Days
• Double Duty Fajita Chicken: Nachos Supreme and Enchiladas by Doggie at the Dinner Table 
• Oregon Shrimp Quesadillas by Pescetarian Journal 
• Korean omelet rice by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Lemon Dillled Salmon Croquette Burgers by Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
• Gluten Free Pepper Steak with Rice by  No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• Crispy Ravioli in Cherry Tomato Sauce by Shockingly Delicious
• BLT Soup by Meal Planning Magic
• Korean Pan-Fried Fish by Kimchi Mom
• Stove top mac ‘n cheese by Gotta Get Baked
• Deconstructed Enchiladas by In the Kitchen with KP
• Croque Monsieurs  by Juanita’s Cocina
• Summer Squash and Mushroom Quesadillas by Chocolate Moosey
• Seared Lamb on a bed of Mashed potatoes with Artichoke Hearts by Cooking Underwriter 
• Garlicky Pasta with Swiss Chard and Beans by Webicurean 
• Baked Spanish Tortilla by Happy Baking Days
• Grilled Chicken Caesar Pizza by In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Chicken Pasta with Spinach and Beans by The Lemon Bowl
• Tomato Pie by My Catholic Kitchen
• Shredded Chicken in Peanut Sauce Tacos w/ Corn & Zucchini Sauté by GirliChef
• Tomatillo Chicken Stew by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Pollo a la Crema by La Cocina de Leslie
• Baked Tilapia Fish Tacos by Home Cooking Memories
• Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with a Yogurt Dill sauce and a Greek Salad by Noshing with the Nolands
• Wagon Wheel Pasta with Pancetta & Peas by Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
• Lemon & Dill Shrimp Pasta w/ Oven Roast Corn by Mama, Mommy, Mom
• Ricotta – Tofu Tomato Toasts by Yummy Smells
• One Pot Spicy Asian Chicken and Rice by Hezzi D
• Turkey Italian Brown Rice Casserole by Momma’s Meals
• Flatbread Pizza with Cilantro Garlic Sauce by Mom’s Test Kitchen
• Cashew Chicken Stir-fry by Diabetic Foodie
• Chicken Bacon Avocado Quesadillas by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• Roasted Butternut Lo Mein by The Meltaways
• Potluck Casserole with Cornbread Stuffing by Cindy’s Recipes & Writings
• Jerk Chicken Chili by Mrs. Mama Hen
• Loaded Chicken and Steak Stuffed Potatoes by Big Bears Wife
• Steamed Tofu Serve with Fried Mix Vegetables by My Trials in the Kitchen
• Pasta with sausage and cherry tomatoes by Tora’s Real Food
• Chicken Ravioli with Peas and Bacon by Daddy Knows Less
• Quick N Easy Thai Coconut Shrimp Stir Fry by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Whole Wheat Pizza with Hummus & Fresh Greens by Family Spice
• Speedy ‘n Spicy Shrimp Pasta by The Weekend Gourmet
• End of Summer Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad by Sustainable Dad
• Teriyaki Tuna Bowl by Family Foodie
• Weeknight Stir Fry by From Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Baked Egg with Mushrooms and Bacon by Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again
• Taco Bake by Daily Dish Recipes
• Fried Rice and Black Beans by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Chicken with Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Bow Ties by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pasta in Tomato sauce and turkey meatballs by Basic & Delicious
• Pasta Primavera by Midlife Road Trip
• Tots Your Tots Will Love by The Hand that Rocks the Ladle

Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day on Sunday. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about Back to School Meals and ways to make meal time easier!

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us throughTweetChat!

We’d also love to feature your Back to School Recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers!