Stuffed Zucchini Casserole with Stuffing Mix is a creamy, crunchy side dish of sliced zucchini, onion and shredded carrots in a mix of sour cream and cream of chicken soup, layered between two layers of buttery chicken-flavor stuffing mix and baked in a 9×13 dish. It is a good way to use up a pile of garden zucchini and serves 12.
How to make it: Boil the sliced zucchini and chopped onion in salted water for 3 to 5 minutes and drain well. Stir them into the carrots, sour cream and soup. Mix the dry stuffing mix with softened butter, press half into the dish, spread the vegetables over it and top with the rest. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Creamy and crunchy: a soft, creamy vegetable layer between buttery stuffing.
- Uses up zucchini: six cups of it in one dish.
- Eight ingredients: mostly pantry staples.
- Feeds a crowd: 12 side servings, good for a holiday table or a potluck.
What “Stuffed” Means Here
This casserole is “stuffed” with stuffing, not stuffed into the zucchini. The zucchini is sliced and baked in a creamy layer with stuffing mix underneath and on top, so every scoop has a bit of both. If you’re looking for hollowed-out zucchini halves filled with meat or breadcrumbs, those are zucchini boats; you’ll find two versions in the variations below.
Ingredient Notes
Zucchini: 6 cups, sliced. Medium zucchini with small seeds work best.
Onion and carrots: 1 cup of chopped onion, boiled with the zucchini, and 1 cup of shredded carrots, stirred in raw.
Creamy mixture: 1 cup of sour cream and one 10.5-ounce can of condensed cream of chicken soup.
Stuffing: one 6-ounce box of chicken-flavor stuffing mix, mixed dry with 1/2 cup of softened butter. Don’t add water or broth.
Salt: for the boiling water.
Ingredients
- 6 cups zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- Salt, for the boiling water
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
- 1 box (6 ounces) chicken-flavor stuffing mix
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Boil the zucchini and onion. Boil the sliced zucchini and chopped onion in salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
3. Mix the vegetables. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the shredded carrots, sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Add the boiled zucchini and onion and mix well.
4. Mix the stuffing. Mix the stuffing mix with the softened butter.
5. Layer the dish. Put half of the stuffing mixture in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread the vegetable mixture over it, then top with the rest of the stuffing mixture.
6. Bake. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. If it is below 165°F, bake a little longer.
Tips for the Best Zucchini Casserole
- Keep the boil short. Three to five minutes is enough; the zucchini finishes cooking in the oven.
- Drain it well. Let the boiled zucchini and onion sit in the colander for a minute and shake off the water before they go into the creamy mixture.
- Soften the butter. Soft butter coats the dry stuffing crumbs evenly.
- Split the stuffing evenly. Half goes under the vegetables and half on top, so the bottom and top both get the buttery crunch.
- Check the center. Use a food thermometer: the middle of the casserole should reach 165°F.
Variations: Zucchini Boats
If you want zucchini that is actually filled, here are two ways the recipes do it:
- Beef and rice boats: halve 4 medium zucchini lengthwise and hollow them out, season and bake the shells at 425°F for 12 minutes. Fill them with a mix of 1 pound ground beef, cooked jasmine rice, 1/2 cup each of chopped bell pepper and onion, 1 egg and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, then bake about 30 minutes, until the filling reaches 160°F. That makes 8 halves.
- Tomato and breadcrumb boats: halve 2 zucchini and scrape out the insides. Sauté the pulp in olive oil with chopped tomatoes, garlic and oregano, stir in 1 cup of breadcrumbs, spoon it back into the shells and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, with Parmesan on top. Plan on 1 zucchini (2 halves) per person.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. USDA FSIS says to eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze it for 3 to 4 months, but creamy sauces don’t always freeze well and the topping will lose its crunch. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Cover and reheat to 165°F in the oven or microwave. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
It’s a side dish that goes with simple chicken dinners like oven-baked creamy chicken or French onion chicken. For more zucchini, try skillet zucchini and mushrooms, roasted garlic-Parmesan zucchini, squash and tomatoes or baked zucchini fries. Want a filled-vegetable casserole with meat? See stuffed pepper casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fillings work best in stuffed zucchini?
For zucchini boats: ground beef with rice, bell pepper, onion, egg and Parmesan, or the scooped-out zucchini sautéed with tomatoes, garlic and oregano and mixed with breadcrumbs. For this casserole, the “stuffing” is buttered stuffing mix layered with the zucchini.
What are some tips for the best zucchini casserole?
Boil the zucchini only 3 to 5 minutes, drain it well, split the buttered stuffing evenly between the bottom and the top, and bake until the center reaches 165°F.
Do I prepare the stuffing mix before layering?
No. Mix the dry stuffing mix with the softened butter only; don’t add water or broth.
Can I freeze zucchini casserole?
You can, for 3 to 4 months, but the creamy layer may separate and the stuffing won’t be crunchy after thawing. It’s best fresh.
Final Notes
Boil, drain, layer and bake: it’s on the table in 40 minutes. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you served it with.
Stuffed Zucchini Casserole with Stuffing Mix
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Ingredients
- 6 cups zucchini sliced
- 1 cup onion chopped
- salt for the boiling water
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10.5 ounces
- 1 box chicken-flavor stuffing mix 6 ounces
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Boil the sliced zucchini and chopped onion in salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the shredded carrots, sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Add the boiled zucchini and onion and mix well.
- Mix the stuffing mix with the softened butter.
- Put half of the stuffing mixture in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread the vegetable mixture over it, then top with the rest of the stuffing mixture.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. If it is below 165°F, bake a little longer.
