Zucchini Rice Pie

Recipe names fool me.  I put it on my weekly menu, head to the store to purchase ingredients based on the name and once I read the entire recipe and start to make it I realize that it is similar to something I have made before or it is not what I thought it was going to be based on the recipe name. Sometimes that's a disadvantage and sometimes it works out.  I made a Taco Salad this week and it was really a salad with a Lime Vinaigrette with a few Mexican additions.  Don't get me wrong it was good but Taco Salad speaks to me and this was was speaking a different language.

I wanted to try this recipe because I wanted to try this method of cooking instant rice in the oven, I had garden squash to use up, I thought it was healthy, "Zucchini Pie" and here is where I didn't pay attention.  It was high in fat, 17g per slice.  The calories were not bad at 257 but when you eat two slices the fat doubles making something bad even worse.  What I will say about this recipe is that it was easy, quick, tasty with a touch of heat but it is more of a rice pie topped with zucchini hence the new name.   Then as I look at my other so called zucchini pies I realized that they all are more zucchini topped and they had a cheese filling so I'm going to give this one a break and I will make it again but next time I'll serve it with a big salad so I only eat one slice and I'll look at changing up the mayo into something more healthy.  Original recipe came from Cuisine at Home, #117, May/June 2016 pg. 46.

ZUCCHINI RICE PIE
2 zucchini or yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 egg, beaten
1 C. dry instant white rice
1 C. chicken broth
1 C. sharp Cheddar, shredded
⅓ C. mayonnaise
½ t. red pepper flakes
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
¼ C. Parmesan, grated
1 t. dry Italian seasoning
¼ t. Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.  In a large bowl add egg, beat, add rice, chicken broth, cheddar, mayo and red pepper flakes.  Stir.  Grease a 9" shallow pie plate.  Pour rice mixture into plate.  Top with thinly sliced zucchini, in circles, starting with and outside circle and working towards the middle with smaller circles.  Pour butter sauce over top.  Bake 25 minutes.  Serve.

Note:  One change I'll try next time is to melt the butter, add the salt and pour that over top then sprinkle the spices and Parmesan over that.  As you can see in the pix when it is all added to the butter it clumps on the top of the pie, that is what the dark brown lumps are it is the spices and Parmesan.