1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
1½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, room temperature
¼ cup 35% cream
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Takes ,
serves 12.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass casserole dish or oven-safe dish with butter or oil.
Create breadcrumb mix: Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in breadcrumbs then cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat then stir in salt, pepper, and oregano. Set aside.
Create egg mix: Place eggs and cream into a liquid measure and whisk to combine.
Assemble casserole: Add a layer of green zucchini to the bottom of the baking dish followed by a layer of mozzarella and then a layer of tomato. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, breadcrumb mixture and grated Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil. Repeat layers, alternating the two different coloured zucchini. End with a layer of mozzarella. Whisk egg mix one more time then pour over dish. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Transfer to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden and the eggs have set.
Remove from oven leaving casserole to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Baked Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients
2 pounds zucchini, green and / or yellow, sliced
3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cups breadcrumbs
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
1½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, room temperature
¼ cup 35% cream
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass casserole dish or oven-safe dish with butter or oil.
Create breadcrumb mix: Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in breadcrumbs then cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat then stir in salt, pepper, and oregano. Set aside.
Create egg mix: Place eggs and cream into a liquid measure and whisk to combine.
Assemble casserole: Add a layer of green zucchini to the bottom of the baking dish followed by a layer of mozzarella and then a layer of tomato. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, breadcrumb mixture and grated Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil. Repeat layers, alternating the two different coloured zucchini. End with a layer of mozzarella. Whisk egg mix one more time then pour over dish. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Transfer to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden and the eggs have set.
Remove from oven leaving casserole to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Baked Zucchini Casserole
3.6 / 5. 16
Layers of green and yellow zucchini paired with vine-ripened tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh herbs and a garlic-Parmesan breadcrumb topping…
Move over eggplant Parm, this BAKED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE is the tastiest new side dish in town!
We’ve all been there; a neighbour who loves to garden calls asking if I’d like a zucchini or two. Of course, I accepted this kind gift and within a day began work on this sensational side dish that’s both big on flavour plus and easy on the eyes – so appetizing. One additional feature that makes this BAKED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE so appealing: it’s 100% vegetarian. LOVE!
Here’s why this homemade zucchini casserole recipe works:
We put zucchini to good use using both green and yellow zucchini to give the dish lots of flavour and colour.
Additional fresh tastes abound thanks to vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh herbs, including basil, thyme and parsley.
Seasoned breadcrumbs, mozzarella and Parmesan also get layered in with the herbs and veggies.
With a 15-minute prep and 45-minute bake time, this casserole is ready in under an hour.
Here are some additional tips to help you make a BAKED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE that everyone will enjoy:
INGREDIENTS
Checking out the photo of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe brought one word to mind: perfect! What a relief, that’s what we were going for. A vegetarian casserole recipe made with fresh vegetables, herbs, seasoning, cheese, crumbs and an eggy custard. Sorry if you were looking for the version made with ground beef or chicken, we’re working on that!
Everything needed to make this dish is available at your local grocer’s or market. For best results, and we say this all the time, try to purchase organically grown veggies and herbs from a local source if you’re not growing your own or receiving them from a friend. Organic produce tastes better and we love supporting local farmers whenever possible.
ZUCCHINI
ZUCCHINI, also called courgette or baby marrow, is a summer squash that grows on a vining herbaceous plant, no woody stem in sight. Zucchini are related to cucumbers, spaghetti squash, yellow squash and melons. Loaded with antioxidants and vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, folate and copper. Zucchini is also easy on the tummy, enjoyed either raw or cooked, and it may help digestion, vision and improve heart health.
The chocolate chips are soft and melted.
If you love zucchini as much as we do, make sure to circle back after making this casserole recipe and try some of our other zucchini recipes. Our TUNA ZUCCHINI BOATS, this ZUCCHINI TRUFFLE SALAD, our SPICED ZUCCHINI BREAD and this CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI LOAF are all hugely popular. See, all the more reason to accept any and all zucchinis offered by friends!
TOMATOES
Vine-ripened tomatoes found their way into this dish, and like the yellow and green zucchini, we love them for both their flavour and colour. Tomatoes are also a powerhouse of nutrition and contain lycopene, an antioxidant linked to health benefits including a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. Although classified as fruit, tomatoes are generally eaten and prepared like vegetables, usually in a savoury recipe. If you’re a major tomato lover, you can also make a batch of our fabulous MARINARA SAUCE made with onion and red wine, serving it on the side.
FRESH HERBS
Incorporating fresh herbs into this BAKED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE recipe is a must. I added homegrown (read: cottage-grown) favourites like basil, thyme and Italian parsley. Chopping them for the baked zucchini is easy, and the aromas of freshly chopped herbs are second to none. If our herb combination isn’t to your liking, try the recipe with fresh rosemary, chives, mint, marjoram or tarragon. All herbs will work perfectly.
BREADING
The game-changer in this vegetable casserole is using breadcrumbs to soak up excess moisture released from the veggies as they bake. Using breadcrumbs this way is similar to the process employed when making eggplant Parmigiana. The big difference here is the way we eliminated the fiddly, time-consuming breading step with flour dredging, egg wash and breadcrumb coating.
Instead, we melt butter, flavour it with garlic, and then toast the breadcrumbs in a hot skillet. Then we add salt, pepper, and seasoning that includes dried oregano. This process of sprinkling the dish with breadcrumbs is way easier than breading a frying vegetables in advance. We think is better tasting too. Feel free to swap bakery-bought breadcrumbs with a gluten-free variety or panko breadcrumbs.
CUSTARD
Hot on the heels of our instructions to craft toasted, seasoned breadcrumbs for sprinkling, what about that egg wash? We simplified that too. This casserole does need eggs to bind everything together as it bakes, but once again, we uncomplicated the process. Simply whisk eggs together with 35% cream (that’s heavy or whipping cream for my American readers). Pour the custard over the assembled casserole and bake. Easy!
CASSEROLE DISH
The above is a bit redundant because a casserole is both a pan and the name of this type of food prepared in it. You can make this recipe using an earthenware pan, glass casserole dish, fluted quiche crock or a metal baking dish. Make sure you grease the pan with either butter or extra virgin olive oil before you begin layering. This ensures portions of the finished BAKED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE come out without sticking.
LAYERS
Not every casserole is prepared with the layering effect we used here. Some like our TUNA CASSEROLE or PASTA BAKE rely on stirring all of the ingredients together in a big bowl then spilling the mixture into a dish or crock, topping with cheese and baking. For this recipe, we realized the layering of fresh veggies with thinly sliced mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs would yield a dish that can be cut into squares for serving. The layered casserole also provides different flavours with virtually every forkful. You can savour it, bite by bite. Let’s say you’re up for more cheesy flavour, try the recipe using sharp cheddar cheese, Swiss or Gruyère cheese.
BAKE
Baking this homemade casserole recipe could not be easier. Transfer the assembled dish to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. The top will be golden brown and the zucchini slices will be tender but not too soft. That’s it, no need to place it on a baking sheet to catch overflows because there aren’t any.
SERVE
Make sure to leave the casserole to sit for about 15 minutes before you cut and serve. This gives the dish a moment to settle and cool slightly so that portions stay together, stacked when you serve. Additionally, you can serve at table straight from the pan making this side dish wonderful for when you’re entertaining a crowd. Think: Christmas, holidays, Thanksgiving.
You can also serve it as a side dish as we intended or present larger portions as a main course for vegetarians. Either way, add a sprinkle of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and more chopped herbs. Let’s say you have leftovers, package portions up in an airtight container then enjoy cold or warmed up. Delicious!
This casserole is so tasty, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite side dish, vegetarian or main course board on PINTEREST, or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make them too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
Try this sensational BAKED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE, perfect anytime!
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Ingredients
2 pounds zucchini, green and / or yellow, sliced
3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cups breadcrumbs
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
1½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, room temperature
¼ cup 35% cream
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass casserole dish or oven-safe dish with butter or oil.
Create breadcrumb mix: Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in breadcrumbs then cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat then stir in salt, pepper, and oregano. Set aside.
Create egg mix: Place eggs and cream into a liquid measure and whisk to combine.
Assemble casserole: Add a layer of green zucchini to the bottom of the baking dish followed by a layer of mozzarella and then a layer of tomato. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, breadcrumb mixture and grated Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil. Repeat layers, alternating the two different coloured zucchini. End with a layer of mozzarella. Whisk egg mix one more time then pour over dish. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Transfer to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden and the eggs have set.
Remove from oven leaving casserole to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
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