Zucchini Pizza Casserole swaps pizza dough for a cheesy zucchini crust: shredded zucchini mixed with eggs, Parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar, pressed into a 13×9 dish and baked until set. Then it gets the pizza treatment, a ground beef and tomato sauce topping, more melted cheese and chopped bell pepper, and bakes again until bubbly. It serves 8.
How to make it: Salt the shredded zucchini, let it stand 10 minutes and squeeze it dry. Mix it with the eggs, Parmesan and half the mozzarella and cheddar, press it into a greased dish and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, brown the beef with onion to 160°F, drain, and stir in tomato sauce. Spread it over the crust, add the rest of the cheese and the pepper, and bake about 20 minutes more, until the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- A crust made of zucchini: shredded zucchini, eggs and cheese bake into a sliceable base.
- Pizza flavors: beef, tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and cheddar, and bell pepper on top.
- Uses up zucchini: 4 cups of shredded zucchini go into one dish.
- Customizable: add pepperoni, mushrooms or Italian sausage like any pizza.
Ingredient Notes
Zucchini: 4 cups, shredded, skin on. Salting and squeezing it is the most important step.
Eggs: 2 large eggs bind the zucchini and cheese into a crust.
Cheese: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella and 1 cup shredded cheddar. Half the mozzarella and cheddar go into the crust and half on top.
Ground beef and onion: 1 pound of ground beef browned with 1/2 cup chopped onion. Italian sausage works in its place.
Italian tomato sauce: one 15-ounce can. Marinara or pizza sauce also works.
Bell pepper: 1 medium green or sweet red pepper, chopped, scattered on top like a pizza topping.
Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini, shredded, unpeeled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (part-skim), divided
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
- 1 medium green or sweet red pepper, chopped
How to Make Zucchini Pizza Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a 13×9-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
2. Salt the zucchini. Put the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let it stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out the moisture.
3. Mix the crust. Stir the zucchini together with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar. Press the mixture into the greased dish.
4. Bake the crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
5. Cook the beef. While the crust bakes, cook the beef and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, breaking the beef into crumbles, until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F on a food thermometer. Drain, then stir in the tomato sauce.
6. Top the crust. Spoon the meat sauce over the baked crust. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and cheddar, then top with the chopped pepper.
7. Bake again. Bake about 20 minutes longer, until the casserole is heated through and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
8. Rest and serve. Let the casserole sit 3 minutes before slicing.
How to Keep the Zucchini Crust from Getting Watery
Zucchini holds a lot of water, and that water is what turns a crust soggy. How well you drain it decides how well the casserole turns out:
- Salt it and wait. Toss the shredded zucchini with the salt in a colander and let it stand 10 minutes.
- Squeeze hard. Wrap it in a clean, lint-free kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as you can. The drier the zucchini, the less watery the casserole.
- Bake the crust alone. Give it the full 20 minutes before any topping goes on. It should look set and lightly browned in spots, with the center firm to the touch.
- Drain the beef. Pour off the fat before the tomato sauce goes in.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the squeeze: zucchini that isn’t wrung out leaves the casserole watery.
- Using frozen zucchini straight from the bag: if you use frozen shredded zucchini, thaw it in the refrigerator, then drain and squeeze it just as well.
- Topping the crust too soon: an underbaked crust stays soft under the sauce.
- Going by looks alone: bubbling cheese is a good sign, but check that the beef reaches 160°F and the center of the casserole 165°F.
- Walking away from the broiler: if you brown the top under the broiler, watch it closely.
Variations
- Pepperoni: lay about 4 ounces of sliced pepperoni over the cheese before the second bake.
- Italian sausage: brown 1 pound of hot or mild Italian sausage in place of the beef, to 160°F.
- More vegetables: add mushrooms, or cook extra chopped green pepper and onion with the meat.
- More seasoning: cook 2 cloves of garlic with the beef, or add Italian seasoning to the crust or sauce.
- Without meat: leave the beef out; the filling will be a little looser.
- Browned top: broil for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, watching closely.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Leftovers keep 3 to 4 months frozen. Thaw them in the refrigerator, never on the counter, or reheat straight from frozen in the oven or microwave, which takes about 1 1/2 times as long.
Reheating: Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
A simple green salad is all it needs. For a zucchini-heavy dinner, add skillet zucchini and mushrooms, roasted garlic-Parmesan zucchini, squash and tomatoes or crispy baked zucchini fries.
More pizza-style and ground beef casseroles: pizza casserole pie, stuffed pepper casserole and low-carb bacon cheeseburger casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common mistakes when making zucchini pizza casserole?
Not squeezing the zucchini dry, topping the crust before it has baked for 20 minutes, and skipping the thermometer check for 165°F in the center.
What kind of cheese is best on zucchini pizza?
This one uses mozzarella and cheddar in the crust and on top, with Parmesan in the crust. Mozzarella gives the classic pizza melt.
How do I keep the crust from being watery?
Salt the shredded zucchini, let it stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can in a clean towel before mixing the crust.
Can I use frozen zucchini?
Yes. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then drain and squeeze it well.
Can I make it without ground beef?
Yes. Leave the beef out and use the sauce, cheese and pepper; the topping will be a little looser.
Final Notes
Squeeze the zucchini dry, give the crust its own bake, and you’ll have a sliceable pizza casserole with a zucchini base. If you add pepperoni, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Zucchini Pizza Casserole
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Ingredients
- 4 cups zucchini shredded, unpeeled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt for draining the zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, part-skim; divided
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded; divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1 can Italian tomato sauce 15 ounces
- 1 medium green or sweet red pepper chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a 13x9-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
- Put the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let it stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out the moisture.
- Stir the zucchini together with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar. Press the mixture into the greased dish.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
- While the crust bakes, cook the beef and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, breaking the beef into crumbles, until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F on a food thermometer. Drain, then stir in the tomato sauce.
- Spoon the meat sauce over the baked crust. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and cheddar, then top with the chopped pepper.
- Bake about 20 minutes longer, until the casserole is heated through and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Let the casserole sit 3 minutes before slicing.
