Zucchini Casserole #2

This recipe is based on our original attempt at zucchini casserole. This is our second attempt . . . .

* 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 large zucchini, slice & quartered
* 2 cups grated smoked Jack cheese
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or I tsp. dried
* 1 cup long grain wild rice

Cook the rice and set aside

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 9X13" baking dish.

Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté. Scrape into a small bowl. Melt the remaining butter over medium high heat in the same frying pan. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently until the moisture has evaporated and the zucchini is tender. Add the wild rice and ~1 cup smoke jack cheese and mix evenly. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes until. Add remaing cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Thoughts
This was a vast improvement on the original. The texture issues were dealt with in the addition of rice and by maintaining larger zucchini pieces.

A suggestion was made for adding bacon. Doing something like this would make this less of a side-dish and more of a main course. Another possibility would be adding mushrooms and sausage (instead of bacon). I'm thinking perhaps some sweet italian sausage or some chicken sausage.