An easy side dish that pairs beautifully with just about any family meal! The garlic parmesan zucchini casserole features fresh shredded veggies, garlic, and onion baked with three types of cheese and finished with a buttery, crispy, Parmesan breadcrumb topping.
Table of Contents
If you have a ton of fresh zucchini, check out some of our other favorite zucchini recipes, such as sauteed zucchini, this easy snickerdoodle zucchini bread, a batch of one-bowl zucchini muffins, and a loaf of zucchini bread!
How to Make Zucchini Casserole | 1-Minute Video
easy, delicious and a good low carb veggie dish. I added a heavy splash of hot sauce and some freshly grated nutmeg to balance all the cheese. this recipe is a keeper
– Sheba
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy. If you can stir together some simple ingredients, then you can make this easy zucchini casserole recipe. With about 15 minutes of prep time, the dish is ready for the oven!
- Flavorful. On its own, zucchini can be a very neutral, bland vegetable. This casserole is anything but boring, however! The veggies are seasoned with plenty of garlic, three different types of cheese, and a crunchy, buttery topping.
- Versatile. The zucchini casserole works well as a vegetarian entree, but also serves as a delicious side side for almost any main course. Offer it with your Easter or Christmas ham, alongside a Thanksgiving smoked turkey breast, with marinated grilled shrimp, or with grilled bbq chicken breast, grilled pork chops, and grilled hamburgers throughout the summer months.
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy zucchini casserole. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Zucchini: this freshly-grated veggie is the star of the show! You’ll need a total of 4 cups grated, which is equivalent to approximately 3 ½ medium zucchinis. I use a handheld box grater to shred my zucchini, but you can also put it through a food processor if you prefer. There’s no need to peel the zucchini.
- Salt: enhances the flavors in the dish and helps to draw out moisture from the zucchini so that you don’t end up with a watery casserole.
- Onion and garlic: for more flavor. I use sweet onion, but yellow onion or white onion both work fine.
- Eggs: give the casserole structure.
- Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and sharp cheddar cheese: three different types of grated cheese add a variety of flavors to the casserole. You can substitute with an equal amount of any of your favorite cheeses — or stick to just mozzarella or just cheddar. Other good options include Monterey Jack, Colby, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Gruyere, Swiss, and Gouda cheese.
- Panko breadcrumbs and melted butter: combine the panko bread crumbs with the Parmesan and melted butter to form the crispy, golden brown topping. You can easily make this zucchini casserole gluten-free by using gluten-free breadcrumbs. If you want to add a little more fiber and nutrition to the dish, use whole wheat breadcrumbs (which are not gluten-free).
Directions
This old fashioned zucchini casserole is an easy recipe to take advantage of an abundance of fresh summer veggies. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Place the zucchini in a colander, sprinkle it with salt, and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes (this will help draw out some of the water so that the zucchini doesn’t make your casserole watery). After 10 minutes, squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini. A dish towel works really well to wring out all of that excess water.
- Combine the drained zucchini, onion, garlic, eggs, some of the Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese in a small, greased baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Make the topping by combining melted butter with breadcrumbs and additional Parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the zucchini mixture and return the pan to the oven.
- Bake for about 5-10 more minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Garnish the dish with fresh herbs (such as chopped fresh parsley, fresh basil, or fresh thyme) or with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a bright burst of color and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
This versatile casserole pairs nicely with just about any meat, seafood, or pasta. We love the cheesy zucchini casserole alongside grilled salmon or grilled scallops, with crispy fried chicken, grilled chicken, or baked chicken thighs, maple Dijon chicken, with marinated pork tenderloin, alongside a Southern meatloaf, with cozy stuffed shells, this turkey Sloppy Joes recipe, with pasta and marinara sauce, a tomato sandwich, or with a veggie pizza. Then, add a strawberry jello salad or easy banana pudding for dessert.
I made this last night for 8 guys who were working on my house. I doubled the recipe and you would have thought that it was the best thing these guys have ever eaten. It was all devoured by the end of the meal! Definitely going to make this again!
– JJ
Preparation and Storage Tips
Store leftover zucchini casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven just until warmed through, or warm individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until heated through.
You can freeze the leftovers; however, this is not my preference because the zucchini will hold a lot of water, negatively impacting the texture and taste when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- Use a combination of yellow squash and zucchini, or replace all of the zucchini with yellow summer squash. Shredded carrots would also be a nice addition.
- To serve a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the casserole in a larger dish. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the total cooking time, but the rest of the instructions remain the same.
- Toss the breadcrumbs with olive oil instead of melted butter for a slightly different flavor.
- Add some ground black pepper or crushed red pepper for a zestier kick. Italian seasoning would also be a nice addition to the filling.
- For a tasty twist, try adding coarsely grated zucchini to this dump-and-bake vegetable casserole with rice.
Made this tonight, it is awesome, love It! Will keep this recipe for future use.
– Karen
More Zucchini Casserole Recipes
Zucchini Pie
50 minutes mins
Chicken Zucchini Casserole
55 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups grated zucchini (I used about 3.5 medium zucchinis)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup finely minced or grated onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus an additional 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 1 ½-quart baking dish; set aside.
- Place zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit for about 10 minutes (this will help draw out some of the water from the zucchini). After 10 minutes, squeeze out the moisture from the zucchini. TIP: In order to make sure that you get most of the water out of the zucchini (and avoid a runny casserole), wrap the zucchini in a dish towel. Squeeze it and wring it out multiple times while it's in the towel — you will be shocked by how much liquid comes out!
- In a large bowl, combine zucchini, onion, garlic, eggs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese. Gently press the mixture evenly into the prepared dish.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, pour melted butter over breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Stir until completely combined.
- After 20 minutes, remove zucchini from the oven. Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over the zucchini and return the dish to the oven. Continue baking for about 5-10 more minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- I use a handheld box grater to shred my zucchini, but you can also put it through a food processor if you prefer.
- Add some ground black pepper or crushed red pepper for a zestier kick. Italian seasoning would also be a nice addition to the filling.
- Garnish the dish with fresh herbs (such as chopped fresh parsley) for a bright burst of color and flavor.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in February, 2017. It was updated in June, 2024.
Hi Blair!
I just added Boursin cheese to this and it was a hit! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Andrea!
My family and I really enjoyed this casserole !! It is such a great use of zucchini and a nice change from using them for zucchini bread or other desserts. The casserole is easy to put together, baked to a nice golden brown and the panko topping gave it a good crunch. I will define make this again.
Wonderful! Thank you, Jean!
I like to think outside of the box. Instead of using a towel and wringing out the zucch, use your salad spinner lined with paper towels! You’d be amazed how much liquid you’ll get in the bottom.
We’ll have to try that out! Thanks for sharing, Jen. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe is EXCELLENT! I had two zucchini’s almost the size of baseball bats so I doubled the ingredients and baked in a 9×13” pan. I salted the zucchini and put heavy pots on it and stirred once in a while for a day like a reviewer recommended. It got all the moisture out. I think that besides the great flavor and texture grating the zucchini helps because it isn’t overpowering. I’m giving the recipe to others who have Zucchini Mania in their gardens during the season. Good job, Seasoned Mom!!!!!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Douglas. Thanks for sharing the recipe with your friends, too. Enjoy that garden!
Very easy to make and sooo delicious.
Thanks, Lori!
Pretty tasty dish, though way more work than expected to dry out the zucchini. I’ll make it again for sure but will likely shred the zucchini in the morning and leave it all day to drain/dry out or may spread them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven on warm for 60 minutes. I used a colander with a potato masher, then a salad spinner, then finally the dish towel, and my arms were exhausted by the end and it was still really wet (3.5 large zucchinis). I ended up baking it for around 40 minutes then did 5 min with the breadcrumb topping and it came out really nicely.
Thank you for the feedback, Penny! We’re sorry you had trouble with the zucchini – it can be a little tricky but are so glad you still enjoyed the recipe.
Delicious and easy side dish !
Thank you, Andrea!
This was a perfect side dish with our Christmas roast beef. Yes, it’s not zucchini season but it really worked well today with no changes whatsoever. It’s a keeper.
Merry Christmas, Blair and family!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Tim! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well!
I have made this many times, comes out great every time! It’s a family favorite.
Thank you, Sue! This made our day.