Cheesy Zucchini and Corn Pie.

Cheesy Zucchini and Corn Pie. This is the savory pie of summer. Zucchini, sweet summer corn, fresh garden herbs, and three cheeses all baked together in a buttery sesame cracker crust. Simple summertime dinner perfection. Plus kind of fun for meatless Monday!

We are smack in the middle of summer and the produce is finally starting to pile into our local farmers market and road side farm stand. As you can probably guess, I am very excited about the abundance of stone fruits, berries, sweet corn, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, etc. etc.

It’s still a little early around here for tomatoes, so this week’s focus is majorly on zucchini and corn, two summer staples that if I’m being honest, I never know what to do with!

Yes, yes, it’s true, I too can have a hard time knowing what to do with summer produce, especially zucchini and corn. All I ever think to do with corn is grill it up with plenty of butter. And for zucchini? My go-to is roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple, simple, and sometimes kind of boring, right?

Thankfully after some brainstorming (read a lot of head scratching, looking through photos, and texting friends and family for inspiration) I have a list full of new ideas that I am exited to share with you all over the next couple of months.

SO, don’t even think about getting sick of the summer produce. OK? Great. Cool.

PS. tell me what your favorite summer produce is. I really want to hear from you guys about what types of recipes you’d like to be seeing! I love creating content that you actually want to see and read about, so let me know!

PSS. and this is so random, but something that has been on my mind. Do you guys enjoy when I talk about what’s going on in my life within a recipe post? Or is it better to just talk about the recipe and save the life stuff for Sunday’s Favorite’s Post?

Last summer I was the queen of throwing corn into dishes, where corn really doesn’t usually belong. For example, I paired it with lobster, threw it on a pizza, and even on toast, kind of different, kind of delicious.

This pie however, might just be the most different of them all. Or maybe not, it really just depends how you look at. In thinking about it, there are lots of savory pies out in the world, and really this is similar to a quiche, but a little less eggy and potentially heavier on the cheese. Either way you look at it, know that this savory pie is really, really good.

Also? Let’s be real, who doesn’t love having pie for dinner?!

It’s fun. It’s good. You need it!

Here are some details.

The crust is pretty simple, and actually uses the same base as last Friday’s custard tart, Ritz crackers. You don’t have to use Ritz, you can really use your favorite savory, buttery cracker, but I just happened to have Ritz on hand. Just be sure to use a cracker that isn’t too overpowering in flavor, something simple.

I smashed the crackers into fine crumbs, added toasted sesame seeds, melted butter, and then pre-baked it into a tart pan to ensure the crust would get a nice, deep, and golden color before adding the filling. I love this crust, it’s buttery, easy to make, and really flavorful thanks to the sesame seeds.

While the crust is pre-baking, work on the filling. It’s a simple mix of caramelized onions, fresh herbs, zucchini and corn. I like to cook the vegetables first, before adding them to the tart. This helps to help draw out any excess moisture and nicely caramelize them before covering the dish in cheese. This step is key because zucchini has a lot of excess water and it needs to be cooked out before baking. If you were to leave it raw, you’d have a watery pie, and trust me, no one wants a watery pie.

As I mentioned, this is very similar to a quiche, but just less eggy, I used a few eggs and mixed them with three of my favorite cheeses, Brie, fontina, and parmesan. Toss the egg/cheese mix with the vegetables, bake, and you’ll have a savory summer pie that is SO GOOD.

I will admit that this is a bit more time intensive than most of the recipes I’ve been sharing lately, but the degree of deliciousness this pie provides is totally worth it.

Plus, I don’t know about you guys, but some nights I really just love spending a little time in the kitchen, even when I am super busy. Cooking, especially when I am not cooking for any other reason than to just eat it (meaning I am not testing or photographing the recipe), is such a major stress reliever for me. I find it so relaxing.

Anyone else feel the same way? I know my mom feels this way too, but about baking!

The bonus about this recipe is that it really triples as a brunch, lunch, and dinner recipe. And, the leftovers are great the next day, warm or cold.

Try serving this with a simple arugula salad on top. I’m talking fresh arugula, fresh basil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. The peppered arugula will compliment the sweet flavors from the corn. Very into it.

Trust me, once you make this it’s going to become your new go-to for the summer. It’s so good.

If you make this cheesy zucchini and corn pie, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this farmers market pie, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!