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This cheesy and creamy Parmesan zucchini recipe is the ultimate vegetarian dinner idea! In this easy comfort food meal, fresh zucchini slices are covered with cream sauce and baked until golden and bubbly.
This Parmesan zucchini reminds me of my incredible Eggplant Parmesan sans tomato sauce or this wonderfully cheesy Zucchini Casserole.
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 this easy 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 its ease of preparation and short cooking time – approximately 30 minutes – this zucchini recipe is a sure-fire hit! Perfect for a group of friends craving a creamy, low-carb, keto-friendly treat, my parmesan zucchini is a cheesy treat you don’t want to miss!
Why I Love This Zucchini Bake
- Simple and Quick: This casserole 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.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This parmesan zucchini recipe uses just a few simple ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery store. With fresh zucchini, rich cream, and a blend of flavorful cheeses, this recipe is both delicious and quite simple to make.
- Zucchini: Cut your zucchini into 1/4-inch slices. Yellow squash can be used as a substitute.
- Salt for zucchini: Helps draw out moisture from the zucchini slices, preventing a watery dish.
- Butter: Adds flavor to the dish and helps sauté the garlic.
- Garlic: Garlic powder can be used if fresh garlic is not available.
- Heavy cream: Adds creaminess and a rich texture to the sauce. Half-and-half can be used as a lighter substitute.
- Sour cream: Adds tanginess and creaminess to the sauce.
- Italian seasoning: You can also use a mix of dried basil, oregano, and thyme.
- Onion powder: Adds a subtle onion flavor without the texture of fresh onions.
- Salt & black pepper: Enhances the flavors of all the ingredients in the dish.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Adds a salty, nutty flavor and helps thicken the sauce. Pecorino Romano can be used as an alternative.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Provides a melty, gooey texture and mild flavor. You can use provolone or Monterey Jack, too.
How to Make Parmesan Zucchini
Making this delicious zucchini casserole is a breeze with just a few simple steps. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to make your own creamy, cheesy, and delicious zucchini bake.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425˚F and butter a big baking dish.
- Prepare the zucchini: Sprinkle salt over the zucchini slices. Wait 15 minutes, then wipe off the salt. Arrange the zucchini in a baking dish and set aside.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a skillet or saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, garlic, spices, and half of the Parmesan in a bowl. Add to the melted butter and stir until it bubbles.
- Combine the sauce with the zucchini: Pour the creamy sauce over the zucchini. Shake the dish around to spread the sauce.
- Add more cheese: Sprinkle 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.
Recipe Tips
- Salt the zucchini and let it rest. 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.
- Spread out cream. Be sure to toss your zucchini slices in the cream sauce until they’re covered so every bite is full of creamy flavor!
- Zucchini options. If zucchini isn’t available or preferred, you can use other summer squash varieties like yellow squash.
- Cheese options. 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 an extra fresh flavor and add a pretty finishing touch.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this creamy parmesan zucchini with a variety of delicious sides. Try my fluffy slow cooker bread for dipping into the extra cream sauce, or pair it with my grilled corn with herbed butter for a perfect match. If you’re a meat eater, these juicy garlic butter pan fried chicken breasts complement the dish wonderfully. For pasta lovers, my easy olive pesto pasta makes an excellent accompaniment.
For dessert, serve a light and refreshing mango sorbet to balance the richness of the zucchini casserole perfectly. For a refreshing drink, try a chilled glass of frosted lemonade or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
You can store your leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing the casserole because the cream sauce will separate once you thaw it. If that doesn’t concern you, you can easily freeze this for 1 to 2 months.
To reheat your zucchini, bake it at 350°F until it’s hot and the cheese starts bubbling.
More Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Salad
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Chips
- Zucchini Tomato Casserole
- Zucchini Mushroom Chicken Stir Fry
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Creamy Parmesan Zucchini
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 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Salting Zucchini: After adding salt, let the zucchini sit for 15 minutes. This helps pull out the moisture. For this part, I arrange the zucchini slices on a large baking sheet. After 15 minutes, I wipe each slice with a paper towel to remove the salt.
- Other Squash: No zucchini? Use yellow squash.
- Change the Cheese: Try different cheeses like cheddar or Gouda.
- Add Basil: Top the dish with fresh basil.
Nutrition
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.
There are no measurements in this recipe. How much of each do you put in
Scroll down to the recipe card – it’s all there. You can also just click on “jump to recipe” at the top of the post and that will automatically scroll you down to the card.
Could you use half and half? I never have whipping cream available and don’t use it a lot.
Yes, that will also work.
Could you add squash to this and cook it with the zucchini? Or any other vegetables?
Yes, squash will work. You can try other veggies, too, so long as they can cook in 20 minutes at 425˚F. Here’s a similar recipe to this one using carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower: https://diethood.com/creamy-vegetable-casserole/
This recipe looks amazing. Could I substitute coconut cream for the heavy whipping cream?
I have not tried that, but I don’t see why not. However, note that it will impart a coconut flavor to your dish, and may not be as creamy as the original recipe.
Making for the 2nd time tonite. LOVE this recipe. Very easy
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This looks and sounds delicious. I see the net carb count is a 6 but I didn’t see a serving size…
Could you please help me out with this? I keep a very strict count usually.
Sorry about that. The recipe card, for some reason, isn’t showing the serving size. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! 🙏 I’ll fix it asap.
The recipe serves 6.
Fresh Parmesan cheese or out of a shaker?
Hi!
Yes, grated parmesan cheese, the one that comes in a shaker.
Can this be prepared ahead of the time earlier in the day and waiting in the fridge until ready to put into the oven later? like a few hours? Love this recipe but I’d like to prep it
Hi!
Full disclosure: I’ve never made this casserole ahead of time. 🙃 My advice would be to prep the zucchini, prep the cream, but not combine them in the casserole dish until it’s time to bake. I say this because my biggest concern would be that the sauce will collect on the bottom of the dish and not coat the zucchini if it sat for a while before baking it.
Can this be frozen please
Hi!
Technically, yes, you can freeze any dish, but I don’t recommend it for this casserole. This zucchini casserole can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after baking, but I don’t recommend freezing it because, even though you cook out a lot of water, the zucchini is still watery and will be soggy when thawed. Also, the cream…when thawing, you risk the cream separating with water on one side and fat on the other.
Followed the recipe precisely, but this was way too salty for us. I’d make it again (because we’re overflowing with zucchini), but not add any salt to the cream mixture. And YES, I did wipe off each zucchini slice with paper towel – very thoroughly.