Ground beef zucchini casserole is a delicious, hearty, and nutritious dish with ground beef and slices of zucchini, layered with tomatoes and lots of cheese. It's a perfect low carb meal for busy weeknights or meal prep and one that the whole family will love.
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It's that time of year when zucchini are plentiful, and days are getting busy. This recipe is a delicious way to use those summer squash while they are abundant. And get a tasty and nutritious meal on the table without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Casseroles are a classic family favorite for a reason, they're usually easy to put together, using everyday ingredients and minimal effort. If you need more casserole ideas, try this easy taco casserole, old fashioned baked mac & cheese, or this hearty ranch chicken and potato casserole. And I have a delicious sushi casserole that you need to try.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients. This delicious zucchini casserole recipe has just six simple ingredients (not including seasoning).
- Easy to make. This casserole is quick and easy to put together, making it a great recipe for busy weeknights.
- Meal prep friendly. Leftovers keep for days in the fridge and reheat beautifully for meal prepping.
- Budget friendly. Ground beef is an economical protein, and this recipe is perfect for when you have lots of zucchini.
- Nutritious. Kind of like a lightened up lasagna, this low carb casserole has plenty of veggies, lots of protein, and it's low in calories. And of course, without pasta, this recipe is also gluten-free.
- Delicious. Most importantly, this cheesy beef and zucchini casserole recipe is flavorful and delicious. It's comforting flavors will please even the pickiest of eaters.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Zucchini: (Called courgette in countries outside of North America). If you have zucchini in your garden, this zucchini ground beef casserole recipe is another great way to use them. However, you can buy zucchini year round at most grocery stores.
- Ground Beef: I almost always use lean ground beef, which has 15-17 percent maximum fat content. I find that there is usually little to no excess fat to drain off when it's cooked. If you use regular ground beef, you will need to drain the fat after cooking.
- Onion: Use a white or yellow onion.
- Tomatoes: For this recipe, I'm using a 28 ounce can of low sodium diced tomatoes. drained.
- Garlic: I like to use pure minced garlic from a jar for convenience. You can also use fresh garlic, or use garlic powder (start with a quarter teaspoon).
- Mozzarella cheese: I always shred cheese myself, because pre-shredded cheese usually contains an anti-caking agent.
How to make ground beef zucchini casserole
- In a skillet, cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic.
- Stir in the tomatoes and seasonings.
- Add half of the meat mixture to a baking pan.
- Layer half of the zucchini slices and half of the cheese on top.
- Repeat steps three and four with the remaining ground beef mixture, zucchini slices, and cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Recipe variations
- Meat: You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or any other ground meat instead of ground beef.
- Cheese: To make this more of a low carb lasagna, replace one of the mozzarella layers with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. You can also add parmesan cheese to the top layer of the casserole.
- Vegetables: I sometimes like to stir in some baby spinach or sliced mushrooms to the meat sauce for added nutrition. Yellow squash can be used interchangeably with zucchini. Sliced eggplant is also great in this recipe, either to replace the zucchini, or combine with it. Salt the eggplant (aubergine) slices just as the recipe calls for zucchini.
- Seasonings: I use my homemade Italian seasoning blend, but you can use a store-bought blend, or use a combination of oregano, basil, and thyme.
Top tips for recipe success
Salt the zucchini. This may seem like an extra step, but zucchini contain a lot of water, which they release during cooking. This can result in a soggy, soupy casserole. Salting the zucchini slices before cooking will extract a lot of that water. The baked zucchini will retain their texture.
Baking pan. I use an eight inch by eight inch baking pan for this recipe, and often for lasagna and other casseroles. I like the smaller surface size which allows for deeper layers. You can use a nine inch by thirteen inch pan; however you will have to make the casserole in only one layer. You may also need to reduce the baking time.
Make ahead. You can make the meat sauce, slice the zucchini, and grate the cheese ahead of time, but it's best to assemble the casserole right before baking.
Let it rest. As with most casseroles, and lasagna, let this casserole rest before serving. It will be much easier to slice and serve.
Storage. This ground beef and zucchini casserole can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freezing. I don't recommend freezing this casserole.
Got more zucchini?
Try these crispy zucchini fritters, or make some chocolate zucchini bread. You can air fry zucchini, or include it as part of a roasted vegetable side dish. Zucchini is always an ingredient in my chicken minestrone soup, too.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Ground Beef Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced about 2 pounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes drained
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Slice the zucchini into ½" rounds. Put the rounds in a sieve or colander over the sink or a bowl and sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat.
- Allow the salted zucchini to sit for 15 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
- Rinse well under cold water to remove the excess salt. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, and cook, stirring often, until the meat is browned with no trace of pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In an 8x8 baking dish, spread half of the ground beef mixture. Cover with half of the zucchini slices, then half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the above steps with the remainder of the meat mixture, zucchini slices, and cheese.
- Bake in the prepared oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.
- Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Swathi says
Ground beef zucchini casserole is so good, filling, and a great meal idea. My family loves it.
Anna Burgess says
We loved this recipe. Made it for dinner last night and it came out just perfect . My husband says I can make it again anytime.
Sharon says
While this was very tasty I would do things differently the next time I make it.
The zucchini wasn't cooked through so I would either slice thinner or pre cook some.
I wouldn't drain the tomatoes as when I checked the dish it was very dry so I added some tomato sauce.
I also used a larger baking dish which I wouldn't do again.
Otherwise we liked it.
Amy says
Love using seasonal zucchini in this hearty casserole!
Liz says
Such an easy delicious casserole! It made a perfect summer dinner.
Colleen Defilippis says
I do a variation of this recipe in a skillet.so you don't have to heat up your kitchen on a hot summer day. I add whatever I have on hand such as bell peppers and stir in about 1 cup of dry white or brown rice, rinsed, to absorb all the liquid. If you want to brown the cheese on top just put it under the broiler for a minute to finish. Quick and easy.
Colleen says
Hi Colleen, since this is a low carb recipe, there is no rice included. But I'm glad it works for you. I'm unsure why you gave it four stars, though. Unless you actually did make the recipe as written? I do like the idea of making it on the stovetop, and will test it that way and add to my recipe notes. Thank you for sharing!
Gloria says
Hi - So sorry but I found this recipe very bland, despite adding additional seasoning to it. Also, despite salting the Zucchini and draining the tomatoes it was very liquid and I had to use a slotted spoon to get it out of the pan and into the dish and then again onto the plates. I'll add tomato paste and more seasoning to the leftovers and mix that in for tonight but I'll not be trying again.
Thanks
Colleen says
Hi Gloria, I'm sorry that this recipe didn't work out for you. Thanks for your feedback.
Cindy Papile says
Making it now. Wondering best way to reheat it for next day since freezing isn’t recommended?
Colleen says
Hi Cindy, Thanks for this question. The reason that I don't recommend freezing is because it would be very watery when thawed. However, this casserole is great reheated. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave, or you can reheat, covered in foil, in original baking pan at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes.
Cindy Huffaker says
I am trying this with spaghetti sauce as it's thick, and grated Parmesan cheese.
Larry Koski says
I tried this recipe and it is delicious!
I will make this recipe over and over again....Thank you.
Colleen says
Hi Larry, it's great to hear that you loved this casserole. Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
Christina says
This was tasty!! I did add a can of tomato paste. Will be putting this in my regular rotation. Good sub for lasagna.
Colleen says
Hey Christina! Tomato paste is a great idea if you like a thicker sauce. Thanks for sharing!
Katharine says
Came out very liquid even after salting the zucchini. Zucchini didn't seem cooked through even after 30 minutes. I would drain the tomatoes and make the zucchini thinner or shred it!
Colleen says
Hi Katharine, another reader also had too much liquid, so I have amended the recipe to drain the tomatoes. I always use San Marzano diced tomatoes which seem to have less juice. So after your comment, I made the recipe again with regular diced tomatoes and there was definitely more liquid. However, the zucchini cooked perfectly in the time indicated in the instructions. That may be a personal preference for softer vegetables on your part. Thank you for your valuable feedback, and I hope you'll give the recipe another try.
Donna says
Can the zucchini be shredded instead?
Colleen says
Hi Donna, Thanks for this question! You can shred the zucchini, just be sure not to skip the salting step in order to remove a lot of the water.
Jami says
Did you drain the liquid from the tomatoes?
Colleen says
Hi Jami, thanks for this question! Yes, drain the liquid from the tomatoes.
Colleen says
After a couple of comments from people who had too much liquid, I have amended the recipe to drain the tomatoes. Although I have tested the recipe several times with un-drained tomatoes, with no issues, it may be that the brand of tomatoes I use has less liquid.
Rosita says
I have a question. This recipe looks like it would be great. But....I cannot eat tomatoes. Love 'em but can't have 'em. Could you or any of your readers suggest a possible substitute? I thought about sweet potatoes but don't know how that would pair with the zucchini. Any help would be appreciated. I have tried several of your recipes and they have ALL been delicious. Thanks!
Colleen says
Hi Rosita! This might sound off the wall, but I would try using pickled beets instead of tomatoes. The beets have the natural sweetness of tomatoes and the pickles have the tartness. I also think your idea of sweet potatoes would be absolutely delicious. Thanks for this question, and maybe some other readers can help with suggestions. It would be awesome to hear how it goes for you, whatever you try!
Naomi Davidson says
What about using mushrooms to replace the tomatoes?
Colleen says
I kind of love that idea, Naomi! Please share with us how it went if you do it!
BJ says
I did make it and found it to much liquid and zucchini not cooked enough.
If I try to make it again, I would chop or shred the zucchini and I would drain the tomatoes. Make it one layer instead of two
Colleen says
Hi BJ, I'm so sorry that this casserole recipe didn't work out for you. I've made this recipe many times and it's always a hit. I'm not sure what went wrong for you, but hopefully you didn't skip the step for salting the zucchini to draw out excess moisture, it's essential. As for the zucchini not being cooked enough, there could be variations in oven temperatures, or the thickness of the slices, among other factors. Your feedback is appreciated and I hope that you do try the recipe again.