This squash and zucchini casserole is a comfortable facet dish starring tender squash in a lightweight Parmesan sauce with a golden, crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Once I’ve acquired a great deal of squash and zucchini available in peak summer time, right here’s one among my favourite issues to do with them: make this squash and zucchini casserole! It’s a comfortable casserole that’s not too wealthy and heavy, and each time I make it, I can’t cease shoveling in bites.
This one is filled with taste, with a lightweight Parmesan sauce that covers the tender squash topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. It’s such a straightforward and distinctive summer time facet dish!
Components You’ll Want
This squash and zucchini casserole has a brief ingredient checklist! There’s just one particular elements with some notes. Right here’s what you’ll want:
- Summer season squash and zucchini: Weigh out the quantity so that you simply use the correct quantity for the seasoning. Medium zucchini and squash can differ in weight vastly.
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and kosher salt mix for giant taste (no chopping an onion required!).
- Olive oil or butter: Both works; butter provides richness, olive oil retains it lighter.
- Parmesan cheese: This aged cheese flavors each the sauce and the topping.
- 2% milk and flour: These make the sunshine, creamy sauce.
- Seasoned Italian panko: That is the bread crumb combination that comprises seasonings and salt! You ought to be out there to search out it at your native grocery. If not, see the notes beneath.
Need extra of this duo? Strive Roasted Zucchini and Squash or Grilled Zucchini and Squash.
The Italian Panko Trick (and a Substitute)
This casserole is made utilizing Italian panko or breadcrumbs, which have seasonings and salt added. This makes it simple to sprinkle onto the highest of a casserole as a result of it’s acquired plenty of taste and seasoning already. Italian breadcrumbs and panko are simple to search out at most grocery shops. In case you can’t discover it, right here’s a substitute:
- Use common panko or make home made breadcrumbs.
- To 1 cup of the plain panko or breadcrumbs, add: ¼ teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder and ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Use ½ cup within the recipe beneath and save the remaining for future recipes.
Find out how to Make Squash and Zucchini Casserole
The fundamental steps for making this squash and zucchini casserole! There are a couple of approach issues to know, so evaluation this primary earlier than going to the recipe beneath:
- Slice and season the squash and zucchini. Three kilos would possibly appear to be a number of squash and zucchini at first, however it condenses right into a small baking dish. Slice it into rounds and season it in a bowl first to get even coating.
- Cook dinner the squash and zucchini: You’ll want your largest skillet for this one! The best technique to prepare dinner all of it is by protecting it for a couple of minutes at a time. A number of moisture will likely be launched. Cook dinner solely till crisp tender: it takes about 6 minutes.
- Add the sauce: To the identical pan, you’ll add milk, flour whisked into just a little milk (as a thickener), and Parmesan cheese. Let that prepare dinner for two minutes: it should thicken just a little, however not a lot.
- Prime with breadcrumbs and bake! Lastly, you’ll switch all the pieces to a small baking dish, high with breadcrumbs, and bake for 10 minutes.
Find out how to Preserve Squash Casserole From Getting Watery
Watery casserole is the most important grievance with this type of facet dish, since zucchini and squash include a lot water. Listed below are the keys to maintaining it set:
- Pre-cook the zucchini and squash. Sautéing first removes a lot of the moisture from these veggies. Be sure that to prepare dinner solely to crisp tender.
- Bake scorching and quick. This permits the veggies to be tender with out overcooking them.
- Relaxation for 10 minutes after baking to let the sauce within the pan thicken. When the casserole is simply baked, the sauce is pretty watery. Because it cools, the sauce will thicken. Additionally, the squash and zucchini are very popular as soon as they arrive out of the oven. The remainder time helps them come to heat and helps to set the feel.
Variation: gluten free casserole
Do you eat gluten-free? Listed below are a couple of choices for making this a gluten free squash and zucchini casserole:
- Panko / breadcrumbs: Gluten free Italian breadcrumbs and panko are simply out there on-line today. You may as well typically discover them at your native grocery. (If all you could find is apparent, not Italian, see the part above about how one can season your personal.)
- Flour: You need to use gluten-free flour or cornstarch instead of the flour.
Methods to Serve Squash and Zucchini Casserole
This squash and zucchini casserole is simple to make! For us it’s extra of a facet dish for entertaining or a particular meal, however you would additionally serve it on a weeknight if you happen to’re an organized prepare dinner. Listed below are a couple of methods to serve it:
Storage and Make-Forward Ideas
You possibly can refrigerate leftovers as much as 3 days in a lined container. Reheat in a 350°F oven till warmed by way of. I might not advocate freezing leftovers, as a result of they turn into watery when thawed.
To make this casserole forward, prep this by way of the sauce step and refrigerate within the baking dish, then add the breadcrumb topping simply earlier than baking so it stays crunchy. Add a couple of additional minutes of bake time if wanted because you’re baking from chilly.
Dietary Notes
This squash and zucchini casserole is vegetarian. For gluten free, use gluten free Italian breadcrumbs or panko for the panko, and cornstarch as an alternative of flour.
Squash and Zucchini Casserole
This squash and zucchini casserole is a comfortable facet dish starring tender squash in a lightweight Parmesan sauce with a golden, crunchy breadcrumb topping.
- Prep Time: quarter-hour
- Cook dinner Time: quarter-hour
- Complete Time: half-hour
- Yield: 4 to six 1x
- Class: Facet Dish
- Methodology: Baked
- Delicacies: American
- Food regimen: Vegetarian
- 3 kilos zucchini and squash (about 2 medium zucchini and 2 medium squash)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup seasoned Italian panko or Italian breadcrumbs (comprises salt)*
- Preheat the oven to 450 levels Farenheit.
- Slice the zucchini and squash into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place them in a bowl and stir them along with the garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- In your largest skillet, warmth the olive oil or butter over medium excessive warmth. Add the zucchini and squash. Cowl the skillet and prepare dinner for two minutes, then uncover and stir. Cowl once more for two minutes and uncover and stir, shifting slices to the underside layer as obligatory in order that they’ll get browned. Cook dinner 2 minutes once more, flipping the items fastidiously, till they’re crisp tender.
- Cut back the warmth to low. Add one other ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup milk, 1 tablespoon flour whisked into 2 tablespoons milk, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Cook dinner 2 to three minutes till barely thickened.
- Pour the zucchini and squash right into a small baking dish (2 quart or 11″ x 8″). Prime with the seasoned Italian panko and one other 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes till golden brown. Enable to face for a minimum of 10 minutes so the sauce thickens barely. Serve with a slotted spoon.