I think I can finally say that summer is here to stay. I don’t think there will be any more snow. At least there better not be. I am ready to embrace all that summer has to offer. We spent both Saturday and Sunday at the pool this weekend. Winnie loves to jump in the pool over and over again. And over and over some more. We grilled hamburgers for the first time this summer and went on both bike rides and walks around the neighborhood. We even turned on the air conditioning. Remind me when we get our first electricity bill how much I was looking forward to hot pool weather.
In addition to grilling hamburgers we made this summer friendly sandwich. I am sure your gardens will be overflowing with zucchini soon enough. This is a great way to use all those extra zucchini. We chose to use peppers and squash on this sandwich but I think eggplant, onions & mushrooms would be great additions too. We wanted to really give the ricotta a summery flavor so we added lemon zest and some pepper. Perfect summer flavors! The key is to get nice fresh bread. If you can’t find good ciabatta bread then fresh French bread will work too. Don’t forget the balsamic glaze!

Roasted Vegetable and Lemon Ricotta Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 lemon, zested
- salt
- pepper
- 1 red pepper
- yellow squash
- 1 zucchini
- 1 tbsp balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice the bread in half
- Brush the bread with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake for about 8 minutes or until slightly crusted.
- Rub the bread with the garlic cloves.
- Slice the peppers and zucchini.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons on olive oil.
- Start by cooking the peppers.
- Cook until blistered about 4-5 minutes per side.
- Remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook the squash and zucchini about 2 minutes per side.
- Set aside.
- Combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Spread the cheese over 1 side of the bread.
- Top with roasted vegetables.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze.