Stuffed Zucchini Bites Casserole
Everyone loves a good casserole because they look and taste great, and when done right, they practically make themselves. Today we're serving up an unconventional casserole that's chock-full of zucchini and ground beef, served in a tangy tomato sauce, and topped with a creamy cheese sauce. This ain't your grandma's casserole!
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients:
For the stuffed zucchini bites:
- 4 large zucchinis
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small head of garlic, roasted
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 egg
- salt & pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- zucchini flesh, sliced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 tbsp rosemary
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
For the cheese sauce:
- ¼ stick butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Cut the ends off of each zucchini and then cut each zucchini into 3 equally-sized pieces. Use a shot glass or knife to hollow out each zucchini piece and set the zucchini flesh aside for later.
3. For the tomato sauce, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat, fry the sliced zucchini flesh in the hot oil, briefly roast the diced red onion and rosemary, stir in the crushed tomatoes, and bring the sauce to a boil. For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour, add the milk, bring the sauce to a boil while stirring, remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the Swiss cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Place the stuffed zucchini bites upright in the tomato sauce in the pan and top each stuffed zucchini bite with a dollop of cheese sauce. Transfer the pan to a preheated oven and cook at 375°F for 30 minutes.
This casserole is guaranteed to be memorable, because never before has zucchini looked or tasted so delicious!
Get the recipe for the Meatball Zucchini Boats featured in the bonus video.