Alright, let’s talk about this casserole.
I told you guys last night about this thing and I promised you all a recipe, so today’s the day.
If any of you are in the same boat as I am with an abundance of zucchini, then this is absolutely a recipe for you. If you’re not on that boat, well then go head out and buy some ASAP. This is not a recipe to miss.
Jay was a little skeptical of this beauty yesterday – he’s not easily swooned by veggies like I am – but after one bite, he was just as hooked as I was. We were trying to figure out what it reminded us of while eating it, and we decided that it sort of reminded us of a light, cheesy hash brown casserole…except with zucchini.
My favorite part was definitely the crispy edges.
I definitely think you guys are gonna love this one. 
Light & Tasty Zucchini Casserole
(adapted from Eat More of What You Love cookbook)
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 teaspoons butter, divided
- 6 cups coarsely grated zucchini
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped peppers
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup low-fat evaporated milk*
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
*I didn’t have evaporated milk on hand, so I substituted with 2/3 cup non-fat dry milk + 3/4 cup water. Regular milk is not recommended.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, and peppers and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the liquids have evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add 2 teaspoons of butter to skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk, Dijon, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and whisk until mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until blended. Pour over zucchini mixture, stir, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into zucchini mixture, then pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining teaspoon of butter, combine with panko breadcrumbs, and sprinkle on top of casserole.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!
I cannot wait to make this once I have my garden zucchini’s! Might be another few weeks for us though.
Yum! I think this might be the only way I can get my fiance to eat zucchinni!
This looks so good!! I love zucchini and definitely have a lot on hand right now!!
That looks delicious!
I saw this on your blog last night and was like yummmm. Totally spoke to me.
That looks soo good, think I am going to try it tonight and not tell the boyfriend what is in it until after he tastes it because I think he will love it too!!
Yum! Can’t wait to give this a try!
I did what I do with all awesome recipes I find and emailed it to my house’s cook AKA my mom ;) thanks!
My mom made almost that same casserole on Saturday for a BBQ–its delicious! I just ate some leftovers for lunch today.
LOVE IT! ….Each element sounds like it adds some great flavor! Plus, it’s a casserole- what’s not to love?!
I lay claim to the crispy edges of anything made in a casserole dish. I still haven’t caved on those “magic corners only” brownie pans, though :)
sounds amazing! i tried your new bicep, tricep and shoulder workout today!! LOVED it!
Wow this looks DELICIOUS! My friend’s dad makes a version of this but it’s definitely full-fat. This looks like a fabulous alternative!!
YUM! This looks delish! I can’t wait to try it – bet it would be good with some yellow squash too!
Another awesome recipe idea, Courtney! I love using zucchini in sweet or savory dishes. It really has very little flavor, so it just adapts to whatever you cook it in! :)
I made a similar zucchini gratin last night but just sliced the zucchini and it didn’t have eggs – love zucchini as much as possible this time of year! :)
For the peppers – did you use green? red? Just wanted to be sure…
The original recipe called for red but I only had green. Either would be fine!
looks fabulous! i’ll have to put it on the meal plan
I love Zucchini and a casserole is the perfect way to use an abundance of them. This recipe sounds like one I have been making for years (except time has potatoes). I eat it by the bowlful!
This looks great! I have shredded zucchini in the freezer that needs to get used up – this’d be perfect.
totally pinning this – i don’t have a garden but i have a LOT of zucchini that i can buy at the store :)
YUM!! This looks heavenly!!
this looks so good, making asap
Pretty sure my dad planted zucchinis this year…thinking I may have to go take a peek at his garden to see if his are ready yet. :-)
Holy wow, that looks really really good.
I want to like this, I really do! For whatever reason, the ‘ol Z & I are not friends :( Well… mostly because I can’t take the texture of it I think? Which is a total bummer because every what appears to be amazing summer recipe includes Zucchini, and I end up missing out :( Any suggestions on Summery recipes that pairs well with the grill & don’t involve Zucchini? Though I’m sure this one is amazing… If… only… lol :)
Great recipe! I have been obsessed with zucchinis, and have about 10 in my fridge right now…yikes. I guess this would be a good way to use them up.
Crispy edges are my favorite part of casseroles too!
I love casseroles! Growing up, I thought they were disgusting. But now, I value their one-dish-ness. :)
This looks absolutely delicious!!!
I can’t wait to try this. We are supposed to get more zucchini from the farm share this week! Thanks for sharing. :-)
I know this is an old post but I just made this casserole and OMG is it YUMMMMY!
Why don’t you recommend using regular milk?
Evaporated milk has some of the water taken out of it so it’s a bit thicker of a consistency. Regular milk would probably not allow the casserole to set as well.
Thank you SO much for this recipe. I made this casserole for the first time last weekend and just made another one last night. My mother and I love it! I didn’t put any onions, peppers, or garlic powder in it, though; I added 1/2 tsp. of paprika and 1/2 tsp. of McCormick’s salt free original all-purpose seasoning. Delicious!
Hey Courtney, do you know of a substitute I could use in place of the evaporate milk? I’d like to try the recipe (a dairy-free version of it) but don’t want to mess it up by using the wrong sub.! :)
Hmmm, I’m not totally sure. Evaporated milk has some of the water taken out of it so it’s a bit thicker of a consistency from regular milk. I’m sure there must be something if you searched though!
Okay I’ll do some more searching, thanks!
Made this as a side last night and it was yummy! I had about 1 cup of frozen corn left over from the night before, so used 5 cups zucchini and 1 cup of corn. It was tasty! :-)