beef zucchini casserole

Boasting 2 pounds (!) of zucchini this easy, baked ground beef zucchini casserole feels like a rich, comforting, cheesy baked pasta, but with tons of “hidden” zucchini. The secret? Shredding the zucchini so it essentially dissolves into the sauce. It’s giving Italian lasagna vibes, but with heaps of veggies, juuuuust enough pasta, marinara sauce, and a sprinkling of gooey, melty cheese; all layered and baked to perfection.

Italian Ground Beef Zucchini Casserole

olive oil

yellow onion (small diced)

salt

beef

zucchini

garlic powder

24-ounces marinara sauce

16-ounces low fat cottage cheese

Italian cheese blend (divided)

dry farfalle (bow tie) pasta (uncooked)

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Heat a large pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil, the onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes, stirring often.

Turn the heat to high, add an additional 1 teaspoon olive oil, the beef, and ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring to break the meat into small pieces. Cook until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes.

Add the zucchini, ½ teaspoon salt, and the garlic powder. Cook until the zucchini is very soft and has given off all of its liquid (about 10 minutes on high), stirring frequently.

When the pan is almost dry (the zucchini has given off most of its liquid) add the marinara sauce, stirring to combine. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

While the sauce simmers, in a medium bowl stir together the cottage cheese, egg, and ½ cup Italian cheese blend until well combined.

Grease or spray a 9x13 ceramic baking dish. Carefully transfer the zucchini-beef sauce to the baking dish, smoothing into an even layer.

Layer the dry pasta in an even layer on top, lightly pressing down into the sauce.

Dollop the cottage cheese mixture on top of the pasta, spreading into an even layer.

Sprinkle evenly with the remaining ½ cup Italian cheese blend.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbling. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until browned on top. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes for more even serving.

Was really simple, and everyone enjoyed it.

Delicious. Still haven’t told my husband there is zucchini in it. 

Very good casserole! I only had macaroni pasta so substituted it and mixed it in with the hamburger/zucchini mixture. And did add more grated parmigiana on top, 1 cup grated. My husband loved the lightness achieved with the grated zucchini. Brava!

This is a delicious recipe! I did use 87% lean ground beef &amp; some hot ground pork sausage . I also sautéed some garden peppers with the onion &amp; added 1 clove of minced onion to the zucchini. After the sauce mixture was done, I added some fresh mushrooms. They baked in at just the right texture. 
I look forward to trying more recipes you have using garden veggies.

Looks delicious. Can't wait to try this dish.

Easy recipe to follow! Made it for my friends and they loved it! Used ricotta instead of cottage cheese. Yummy!

Very good recipe! Made it for my friends and they loved it!

Excellent recipe! My sauce mixture made a little too much for my 9x13 so I will have some yummy sauce to serve over pasta later this week!

Top 1 beef zucchini casserole recipes from across the web

The most viewed beef zucchini casserole recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Italian Ground Beef Zucchini Casser...

Top 1 beef zucchini casserole recipes from across the web

The most viewed beef zucchini casserole recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Italian Ground Beef Zucchini Casser...

The most viewed beef zucchini casserole recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine