This Creamy Parmesan Baked Zucchini recipe is the ultimate vegetarian dinner idea! Fresh zucchini slices are covered with cream sauce and baked until bubbly and golden in this easy comfort food meal.
Parmesan Zucchini reminds me of this incredible Eggplant Parmesan, sans tomato sauce, or this wonderfully cheesy Zucchini Casserole.
Flavor Packed Baked Zucchini Recipe
Baked Zucchini, a classic of Italian cuisine, combines zucchini and Parmesan cheese in an irresistible blend of taste and texture that’s quick and easy to whip up!
In our Zucchini Bake, the humble zucchini gets a rich and creamy makeover with a generous drizzle of heavy cream, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, and a hint of garlic. This dish serves up all the flavorful charm of a chicken parm, minus the chicken!
With the ease of preparation and short cooking time – under 30 minutes – this Baked Zucchini recipe is a sure-fire hit! Perfect for a group of friends craving a creamy, low carb, keto-friendly treat, our Zucchini Bake is a cheesy treat you don’t want to miss!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple and Quick: This dish is simple to prepare and cooks in 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy days.
- Delicious: It’s a creamy, savory, and cheesy dish that feels indulgent and hits the spot when you’re craving comfort food.
- Versatile: It’s a great side dish, but can also be a main course.
- Low-carb and Keto-friendly: This recipe fits nicely into a low-carb or keto diet, making it a fantastic option for those adhering to these dietary lifestyles.
- Vegetarian: Perfect for those who want a vegetarian option that’s as hearty and satisfying as a meat-based dish.
What’s in Baked Zucchini Parmesan?
- Zucchini: Cut your zucchini into 1/4-inch slices.
- Sour Cream
- Heavy Cream
- Garlic: Finely mince your garlic to distribute its flavor throughout this dish!
- Italian Seasoning, Onion Powder, Salt, and Pepper
- Parmesan Cheese
- Butter
How to Make Parmesan Baked Zucchini
- Preheat Oven: Heat up your oven to 425˚F and butter a big baking dish.
- Salt Zucchini: Sprinkle salt on the zucchini slices. Wait 15 minutes, then wipe off the salt.
- Arrange Zucchini in a baking dish and set aside.
- Melt Butter: Melt the butter in a skillet or saucepan.
- Make Sauce: Mix heavy cream, sour cream, garlic, spices, and half of the Parmesan. Add to the melted butter and stir until it bubbles.
- Add Sauce: Pour the creamy sauce over the zucchini. Shake the dish around to spread the sauce.
- Add More Cheese: Put the rest of the Parmesan and mozzarella on top.
- Bake: Cook for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Take out of the oven and wait 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Tips for the Best Baked Zucchini Parmesan
- Let Zucchini Sit After Salting: It’s important to let your zucchini slices rest for 15 minutes after salting them. This will allow the salt to draw moisture from the zucchini.
- Coat Zucchini Slices with Cream: Be sure to toss your zucchini slices in the cream sauce until they’re covered so every bite is full of flavor!
- Zucchini: If zucchini isn’t available or preferred, you can use other summer squash varieties like yellow squash.
- Cheese: You can experiment with other cheese varieties like cheddar or Gouda. For a vegan version, use vegan cheese alternatives.
- Garnish: You can garnish this dish with fresh basil to give it a pretty finishing touch.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: Serve this creamy zucchini casserole with my fluffy Slow Cooker Basil Pesto Bread. It’s great for dipping into the extra cream sauce! ?
- Corn on the Cob: My Grilled Corn with Herbed Butter tastes amazing with parmesan baked zucchini.
- Chicken: If you eat meat, you have to try serving this dish with these Juicy Garlic Butter Pan Fried Chicken Breasts.
- Pasta: This creamy zucchini recipe also goes well with my easy Olive Pesto Pasta! ? so good!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- You can store your leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.
- To reheat your zucchini, bake it at 350°F until it’s hot and the cheese starts bubbling.
More Zucchini Recipes
ENJOY!
Creamy Parmesan Baked Zucchini
This Creamy Parmesan Baked Zucchini is the ultimate vegetarian dinner recipe! Fresh zucchini slices are covered with cream sauce and baked until bubbly and golden.
Servings : 6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- salt for zucchini
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Butter a baking dish and set aside.
- Cut the zucchini into ¼-inch slices and sprinkle salt on each slice. Let zucchini slices rest for 15 minutes so the salt can draw out the moisture.
- Wipe each slice with a paper towel to remove the salt.
- Arrange zucchini slices in the baking dish. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together heavy cream, sour cream, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, pepper, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan; stir in garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- To the saucepan, add in the heavy cream mixture; whisk and cook until mixture begins to bubble up. WHISK so that the cream does not start to curdle.
- Stir in ½ cup mozzarella; cook for 20 more seconds or until cheese is all melted.
- Pour the cream mixture over the zucchini in the baking dish; shake the baking dish to distribute the cream all around the zucchini slices.
- Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the zucchini.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Salting Zucchini: After adding salt, let the zucchini sit for 15 minutes. This helps pull out the moisture. I arrange the zucchini slices on a large baking sheet for this part. After 15 minutes, I wipe each slice with a paper towel to remove the salt.
- Other Squash: No zucchini? No problem. Use yellow squash.
- Change the Cheese: Try different cheeses like cheddar or Gouda.
- Add Basil: Top the dish with fresh basil.
Nutrition
Calories: 297 kcal | Carbohydrates: 8 g | Protein: 13 g | Fat: 24 g | Saturated Fat: 15 g | Cholesterol: 77 mg | Sodium: 828 mg | Potassium: 478 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 5 g | Vitamin A: 1100 IU | Vitamin C: 28 mg | Calcium: 345 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Did you make this recipe?Leave a Rating!
Have you tried this recipe using frozen zucchini?
Way too salty! Wiped off as directed. I might try what another comment said to use the 1 tsp to salt the zucchini and add none to the recipe. Had to eat mine with sour cream to cancel some of it out.
This was absolutely delicious 😋!!! My husband and I finished it off in2 days !!! I love zucchini and it was so nice to eat it in a new recipe !!! I can’t wait to make it again!! Thanks 😊!!
Great! Everyone loves this.
I made a small change for convenience – instead of salting the squash, then wiping off the salt after it sweats, I just used the 1 tsp called for in seasoning the dish and then didn’t wipe it off. I wanted to avoid the step of wiping the squash. 😉
It seems like a rich dish, but I noticed in the Nutrition info there is not a serving size listed, so hard to determine.
Oh my goodness! I’ve now made this recipe at least once a week since discovering it. I’m very sensitive to salt, so I skip the salting of the zucchini, and somehow I don’t end up with a watery mess! I occasionally add leftover veggies too (potatoes and green beans) and because they’re leftover, they do just fine only cooking for 20 minutes. I’ve also used the sauce in a potato casserole that turned out delicious. And I added rotisserie chicken to the zucchini casserole one night that turned out so easy and amazing for the taste buds. I will continue to make this many times in many different ways, I have no doubt!
Fantastic! I’ve made it twice, and put it over noodles. I’ve also sliced up a kielbasa and put it over top the zucchini. Delicious!!
My whole family enjoyed this! I didn’t salt the zucchini as I’m very sensitive to salt. I also omitted the salt from the seasonings used, knowing the cheeses would make it salty enough for my tastes. I only had one pound of zucchini, so I added a package of spinach hand the kernels from 4 cobbs of corn. It was a hit with all 5 of the people who ate it! One even commented “you didn’t overcook the zucchini!” Nope, sure didn’t! I will definitely make this again and again!
This dish is addictive! I’ve made it 5 times already this season and it gets polished off by everyone I make it for. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. My new ‘go-to’ side dish.
This recipe is beyond good!!! Next time I’m going to try the sauce with chicken and pasta.
This is amazing, just what my husband and I needed! I can’t help but think this sauce would be good for macaroni, cauliflower rice etc.. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Absolutely delicious! The only thing I would do different next time is NOT add that 1 tsp of salt. I think it will be ok without it. The Cheeses have plenty of salt already.
OMG! This is so good. I needed to find different ways of using zucchini. This seemed easy enough and I had all the ingredients. I also have a garden and I’m starting to get to the point where I have to to get more creative. This is so delicious. Thank you.
I made this yesterday with 2 massive zucchini’s from the farmers market. First let me say that my house smelled heavenly. My husband came in from cutting the grass and said whatever you’re making smells really good. My daughter got two heaping servings and I absolutely loved it. I had just a little bit left over for lunch and one of the managers came in and asked for the recipe. This is a keeper for me.
This was so good. I hope there are enough zucchini in the garden to make it again tomorrow.