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Zucchini Tomato Casserole

Zucchini Tomato Casserole – Layers of baked Zucchini and Tomatoes coated with a creamy, cheesy blend and loaded with flavor! Serve it as a tasty appetizer, side dish, or a delicious vegetarian dinner.

ZUCCHINI TOMATO CASSEROLE

This creamy and savory Zucchini Tomato Casserole is so incredibly simple to make and it’s the perfect way to enjoy your garden’s summer veggies. Throw this in the oven, and 30 minutes later you’ll have a DELICIOUS side, or meal, to enjoy with your family. Or alone! My husband did… 😏 

Do you have a garden? I have been gardening together with my parents for the past 7 years – my dad prepares the soil, my mom and I plant –  and I can’t describe the amount of excitement and pride that I feel when I see results.

Take for instance this Zucchini Tomato Bake – the zucchinis and tomatoes in this dish all came from our vegetable garden. But, the tomatoes…ohhhh the tomatoes…wow!

Layers of zucchini slices and tomato slices topped with garlic.

To say that they are delicious would be an understatement. Juicy, yet firm, sweet, yet tangy. The perfect balance.

If you don’t like tomatoes, please hop on over to our recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Casserole – it’s really good! 

To add, you know you’ve got something good when you all run to the garden, pick a vegetable and eat it right there and then. No washing, cutting, plating.

What’s better is when you prepare something with those vegetables and there are no leftovers. This zucchini casserole was polished off in one sitting. 

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI TOMATO CASSEROLE

I’ve come to realize that if I want this family to enjoy veggies more often, I must pair those veggies with cheese. Whatever works, eh?

  • We start with slicing up around 2 average-sized zucchinis and two large heirloom tomatoes. Slices of both veggies should be around 1/4-inch thick.
  • In a 9-inch baking dish layer the zucchini slices and then the tomato slices. In between each layer, sprinkle the tomatoes with fresh basil and garlic. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and fresh ground pepper.
  • Combine cream cheese and milk in a bowl and whisk in a pinch of nutmeg, and Italian Seasoning. Add a layer of the cream cheese mixture over the tomatoes and sprinkle with shredded Italian blend cheese or mozzarella cheese. You can use whatever type of shredded cheese you have on hand.
  • Continue with one more layer of zucchini and lastly a layer of tomatoes. Spread the remaining layer of cream cheese mixture and add more cheese.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly, browned, and veggies are tender.
  • Let stand 10 minutes in room temperature.
  • Cut and serve.

Scooping out zucchini and tomato casserole.

This low carb and Keto-friendly Zucchini Tomato Casserole is an easy way to use up and enjoy summer vegetables. Fresh and full of flavor – this is one very delicious and light summer dish. 

COOK’S NOTES

  • Zucchini and tomatoes will release water during baking and that’s completely normal. 
  • If you don’t want to bother with adding salt, pepper, garlic, and basil in between layers, you can just mix them in with the cream cheese blend. 
  • For those that like a softer veggie, keep the dish in the oven for an extra 7 to 10 minutes. If you see that it’s browning too much on the top while baking, please loosely cover with foil while continuing to bake. 
  • Serve this casserole with grilled meat or chicken for a complete meal, or enjoy as a vegetarian dinner.

Baked Zucchini Casserole in a baking dish.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS

  • Store in airtight containers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Makes for a delicious and quick work lunch! 

CAN I FREEZE A ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO CASSEROLE?

  •  I don’t recommend it because zucchini and tomatoes both release a lot of water and that will affect the taste and texture of the overall dish. 

MORE ZUCCHINI RECIPES

ENJOY!

TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE

Scooping out zucchini and tomato casserole.

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

Katerina | Diethood
Layers of baked Zucchini and Tomatoes coated with a creamy, cheesy blend and loaded with flavor!
4.82 from 22 votes
Servings : 8 servings
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Resting Time 10 mins
Total Time 35 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 average-size zucchinis, sliced (you'll need about 6 to 7 cups of sliced zucchini)
  • salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, divided (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, divided
  • 1 cup Italian Blend Shredded Cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut up into 1/4-inch slices
  • chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F.
  • Grease a 9-inch baking dish with a little butter. Set aside.
  • Prepare the cream cheese mixture by combining cream cheese, milk, basil, and ground nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Layer half of the zucchini slices on the bottom of the baking dish.
  • Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Add a layer of sliced tomatoes over the zucchini slices.
  • Sprinkle with half of the garlic and half of the fresh basil.
  • Add a layer of HALF of the cream cheese blend over the tomatoes; sprinkle with half of the shredded Italian cheese.
  • Repeat one more layer of zucchini slices; add a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Repeat one more layer of tomato slices; add the rest of the garlic and fresh basil.
  • Spread a layer of the remaining cream cheese mixture and sprinkle the rest of the shredded Italian cheese.
  • Dot with slices of butter.
  • Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly, browned, and veggies are tender.
  • Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh basil; cut and serve.

Notes

WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 8
 
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
  • Store in airtight containers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 180 kcal | Carbohydrates: 5 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 16 g | Saturated Fat: 9 g | Cholesterol: 48 mg | Sodium: 232 mg | Potassium: 264 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin A: 920 IU | Vitamin C: 13.4 mg | Calcium: 209 mg | Iron: 0.5 mg | Net Carbs: 4 g

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.

Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, American/Southern, Italian
Keyword: baked zucchini, casserole, keto dinner idea, low carb recipe, tomato recipes, zucchini casserole
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79 comments on “Zucchini Tomato Casserole”

  1. This is really yummy. I tried to follow the recipe but did have to punt regarding the shredded Italian cheese and the cream sheets. I used a regular brick of softened cream cheese and as far as I can tell, that worked fine. For the shredded Italian cheeses, I made do with some string cheese thinking it would melt like mozzarella – it doesn’t, but it was fine. I’d like to try this again with some proper cheese though that melts hopefully before all the fresh garden tomatoes go away.

  2. Delicious summer harvest meal! Our guests asked for the recipe; the blend of herbs and cheeses really made it special. It is a keeper!

    1. Yep, that would be OK, too. Make sure to drain out the water that’s collected on the bottom of the baking dish, before you bake it.

  3. Avatar photo
    Tracy Freeman

    This was soooooo good. I added a 1/2 cup more italian blend cheese and doubled the fresh basil and sprinkled the top with italian seasoning. So good.

  4. Yum yum yum!! Made it for my keto vegetarian hubby and we LOVED it! I sliced the zucchini thin, salted, and pressed them to get out extra moisture and our bake came out soft and tender and ooey gooey. We wanted ours soft so we baked loosely covered for 30min and uncovered for 15 and yum! Thanks for the tasty recipe. 🙂

  5. Was excited to make and eat this but unfortunately it was just one big dish of water after cooking

  6. My son doesn’t like cream cheese. Is it obvious after it’s cooked? He’s sometimes ok if you can’t tell it’s in there after it’s done. Is there something else I could use?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      I haven’t tested this with anything other than cream cheese, but maybe you can try to make it with sour cream or plain yogurt.

      1. When reviewing a recipe I hate to make substitutions and expect the same outcome, but with this one I was able to-and came pretty close. Just came from the Farmer’s Market with heirloom tomatoes and found your recipe to help make use of them. I grilled the zucchini strips to soften them a bit. Didn’t have cream cheese, but used 4 oz goat cheese thinned with 2T half and half and added all the spices to that mixture. I spread that over the first zucchini/tomato layer, then topped with the final veggie layers.- seasoning with a little kosher salt and pepper in between. I topped with shredded white and yellow cheddar. Wasn’t sure how that cheese topping would pair with the goat cheese, but it works. Theses veggies are very high in water content and excess liquid should be expected. Just use a slotted spoon when serving…juices will stay in the casserole dish.

    1. That’s the way I’m going to do it. Were you a Tyndall AFB in 1973? Can’t be tooo many Bill Smiths out there!

    1. Avatar photo
      Rosalind Paragus

      Terrible- i used a mandolin to slice zucchini- came out hard. Not impressed with this at all. Flavor-eh

  7. Wow! This was fantastic! I didn’t have a problem with excess fluid as others mentioned but I used one of my over grown zucchini’s which was perfect. The only problem was that we all over ate! 😂

  8. The flavor was really incredible. I cooked it in a deep oval casserole dish and 25 min was not enough. Next time I’ll either cook it longer or use a shallower dish to distribute the layers. Thanks for the recipe!

  9. One of the best things I have ever eaten! Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous recipe. I was able to use fresh garden tomatoes and zucchini.

    1. Delish! I added heavy cream to cream cheese and added my garlic to this mixture. Thank you for great recipe‼️

  10. waaaaaaaaay too watery, sauce became a gross, grainy, clotty mess as it cooled. Leftovers (there were lots) went in the bin as I couldn’t imagine a way to salvage them. What a waste of perfectly lovely summer produce. This was a big miss.

  11. What a delicious casserole! Made this tonight with zucchini, tomatoes and basil from my garden, I only had an 8oz. block of cream cheese so I used that and used 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil instead of dried. After baking and letting it sit a few minutes, I poured some of the liquid out of the pyrex dish. Just a wonderful flavor of the fresh vegetables and cheeses. I will be making this a lot, thanks for the recipe😊

    1. Of course! I actually did the same thing and it turned out great! But definitely don’t put in freezer for a second time… downs leave a great taste in your mouth after being frozen twice! Haha heheh!

  12. Avatar photo
    Leta Roberson-Rivas

    I love your recipes but I can hardly see them with all the dang ads. It is so annoying to maneuver around. Are there printable versions that we can pay for that don’t contain ads??

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      There’s a “Jump To Recipe” button at the top of every post; just click on that and it will automatically scroll you down to the recipe card. That should help you with seeing the least amount of ads. Unfortunately, we can’t run websites without ads; it costs far too much to do this without any compensation.

  13. Such a flavorful casserole; this has quickly become a family favorite recipe in our home! Delish!

  14. Totally loved it!!! I had a little goat cheese in the fridge, which I added and put Romano in with the crumbs. So quick and easy!! We all gobbled it up!!!

  15. Avatar photo
    Nami | Just One Cookbook

    I’m jealous of your family garden! It’s a wonderful way to teach children about food we eat too. I live next to the canyon where we have wild animals who eat our plants! So gardening is like a dream to me. It must be so nice to use your own veggies to make this delicious food. The flavor is simple, not over killing the ingredients that you can appreciate the natural flavor. Love this recipe!

  16. I’m so jealous of your garden, Kate! I have not gotten my usual tomato donations from friends this year due to the drought :/ Nothing better than delicious garden tomatoes and your casserole looks fantastic~

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Kate@Diethood

      Liz, I can probably count how many tomatoes we had in total … this drought killed everyone’s garden 🙁

  17. This is beautiful! Great seasonal dish and I just adore those plates. I should really invest in some pretty plates. They’re captivating.

  18. Avatar photo
    Amy @ fragrantvanillacake

    This sounds delicious Kate! Tomatoes and zucchini are so wonderful this time of the year I try to eat as much as I can! Love the simplicity of this, my Mom used to make something similar and it was always a hit :)!

  19. Greetings from Australia!

    Totally agree with you that gardening is so rewarding. We get fresh foods and lots of family time together. Funny that we are expecting the Spring in a few weeks time and we are sowing zucchini and tomatoes seeds soon. This recipe will waiting for me to cook when our garden is ready for harvest during Xmas 😀

  20. Avatar photo
    Sommer@ASpicyPerspective

    Mmmm, perfect for the loads of tomatoes and squash I have coming out of the garden right now!

  21. I just love your pictures. They always make me so hungry! The plate is gorgeous too. And this dish is one that we would certainly enjoy. The bread crumbs were a great idea!

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