Savta's Zucchini in Tomato Sauce

I have already posted a recipe from my Bubbe Elaine. Now it's time to go to my Israeli roots and post a recipe from my Savta Leah. This is one of my favorite side dishes to make...it gives zucchini a completely different texture than what you see in a lot of American recipes using zucchini. Kids go crazy over it, since there's a bit of ketchup in it (a 1950s housewife throwback), and it's certainly not gourmet, but boy is it comfort food...best of all? It's pretty quick and easy to make.

Total prep time: 10 minutes

Total cook time: 35 minutes

What you will need:

2-3 medium sized zucchini
1/2 white onion
1 regular sized jar tomato sauce (any brand is fine)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 packet splenda (you can use sweet n lo or even sugar if you're not trying to be low-cal)
1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable/canola oil (not pictured)
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Wash your zucchini and make sure you scrub them. Zucchini have tiny little hairs on them that can prickle you. Then dice them into large chunks.

Next, dice 1/2 of a white onion. It does not need to be finely chopped, but you want the pieces to be much smaller than your zucchini slices.

In a medium sized saucepan, add 1 tbsp of the oil of your choice and heat on medium heat. Once it is warm (you can tell by holding your hand slightly above the oil, and if you look closely, you'll see it change color a bit) add your onion and saute until translucent and slightly browned.

Next, add the zucchini and saute for a few more minutes.

Then, add the tomato sauce, ketchup, and splenda packet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer on a low-medium low heat for anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour...the longer you let it sit, the more the flavor melds, but it's definitely ready to eat when the zucchini becomes very tender after about fifteen minutes.

Now it's ready to serve! The resulting taste is not quite an "italian" style sauce as it is definitely sweeter than a typical marinara. This is a good side dish for any roasted or fried type of protein...I typically pair this with chicken schnitzel, brisket, or some sort of roasted chicken breast. Enjoy it!!!!