Southwestern Zucchini Casserole is easy, versatile, bombproof and especially nutritious – a family favorite
This Southwestern Zucchini Casserole is a versatile, bombproof recipe that’s also nutritious. You can basically throw it together and it will come out fine. It works fine with zucchini, yellow squash, or a combination. Likewise, proportions do not need to be exact.
I actually experimented with several variations. I also made it without the flour in order to make a keto, gluten-free version. This is also very good, and I’ll likely make it without flour a lot in the future. Without flour, the texture is slightly different – less firm and set; but I thought the taste was just as good. Note that you can also substitute quick oats for a fuller consistency without the gluten. If you like spicy Mexican just increase the green chiles and cumin; I might also add red pepper flakes or smoked paprika. It has plenty of flavor as-is, though.
Also it is good with less cheese or even without cheese; that way it’s a much lighter, lower calorie meal. It’s also good with or without the tomatoes on top. Feel free to vary this one – it’s hard to mess up.
You can also add meat (sausage, ground beef, shredded chicken) if you want to make this a complete meal in one dish for your carnivore family. I specifically wanted a vegetarian/egg dish, though, so I’ll most likely stick with vegetarian options. Mushrooms would be very good in this. I just made it, so we’ll be having it again over the next few days. I already know the leftovers will make a very satisfying meal. Hope you like this one!
- 2-3 zucchini (or yellow squash), ~ 1 lb
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small onion, ~ 4 oz., chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup diced green chiles
- ½ cup mexican blend shredded cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan, divided in half.
- 5 campari tomatoes
- Chopped cilantro, parsley, or green onions for garnish.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.
- Trim the ends off the zucchini,grate coarsely and dump in a 2 quart bowl. Add the carrots and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Then squeeze to drain out liquid into a separate cup. (Liquid can be thrown out or added to another soup or dish.)
- Add eggs, garlic, onions, seasonings, green chiles and flour, stirring to blend.Stir in the mexican blend cheese and half the parmesan.
- Pour into a baking dish and spread out evenly. Slice the tomatoes into thin ¼" slices and place on top of the casserole. Spread the remaining ¼ cup parmesan evenly on top.
- Bake 45 minutes, then remove and let sit 5-10 minutes to set. Serve and enjoy!
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