Zucchini Pizza Casserole Recipe

By ldelmas

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
• 1 medium green or sweet red pepper, chopped

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from tasteofhome.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°. Place zucchini in colander; sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out moisture.

Combine zucchini with eggs, Parmesan and half of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into a greased 13x9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish. Bake 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add red pepper. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes longer.

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 350°. Unwrap casserole; reheat on a lower oven rack until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.
Yield: 8 servings.

Test Kitchen Tips

Italian sausage or ground turkey sub well in this casserole.

Make it vegetarian by skipping the meat and increasing the veggies. Mushrooms or finely chopped cauliflower (or a combination of the two) taste great.

This packs up nicely for weekday lunches.

Originally published as Zucchini Pizza Casserole in Country Woman
March/April 1990, p29