Zucchini Pizza Casserole Recipe
My husband has a hearty appetite—our two kids never tire of pizza—and I grow lots of zucchini. So this tasty, tomatoey casserole is absolutely tops with us throughout the entire year. Once you've tried the recipe, you may even decide to grow more zucchini in your own garden next summer!
My husband has a hearty appetite—our two kids never tire of pizza—and I grow lots of zucchini. So this tasty, tomatoey casserole is absolutely tops with us throughout the entire year. Once you've tried the recipe, you may even decide to grow more zucchini in your own garden next summer!
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 medium green pepper chopped
- 4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 can (15 ounces) italian tomato sauce
- Carbohydrate 4.29428389015718 g
- Cholesterol 56.7071352713387 mg
- Fat 12.938457029308 g
- Fiber 0.565305571562267 g
- Protein 17.3257285993325 g
- Saturated Fat 5.39642084940105 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -8 serving (154g)
- Sodium 157.609271892739 mg
- Sugar 3.72897831859492 g
- Trans Fat 1.72692580852442 g
- Calories 206 calories
Step-by-step
- Place zucchini in strainer; sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out moisture.
- Combine zucchini with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, at 400degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add green pepper. Bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.
- Freeze option: Cool baked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350degrees. Unwrap casserole; reheat on a lower oven rack until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165degrees.
Salt extraction dictates the structural integrity of high-moisture vegetables. Placing shredded unpeeled zucchini in a strainer with salt for exactly 10 minutes draws out free water via osmosis. Squeezing this liquid before binding the shreds with eggs and cheese prevents the base from becoming waterlogged during the initial 400-degree bake. Without this moisture purge, the starch and protein matrix cannot set properly, yielding a soggy crust rather than a firm base.
Balancing Rich Layers with Acid and Crunch
Pairing a heavy, savory dish loaded with ground beef, mozzarella, and cheddar requires sharp structural contrasts. A crisp, acidic green salad dressed simply with red wine vinegar cuts through the dense dairy fat and protein. Alternatively, serving pickled red onions alongside provides acetic acid that cleanses the palate between bites of rich meat sauce.
Fresh Versus Preserved Components
Fresh summer squash contains roughly ninety-four percent water, demanding thorough manual expression. Frozen zucchini retains damaged cell walls from ice crystal formation, releasing significantly more free liquid upon thawing and requiring double the straining pressure to achieve the same textural density in the bake.
