Is there a zucchini hater in your family? Give this Cheesy Zucchini Casserole a try and see how it disappears fast. Shredded zucchini baked in oven with layers of mozzarella and a mixture made with an egg, yogurt and very little flour.
We love casserole recipes like this one. Skinny zucchini casserole, which we make with a few ingredients, is a much healthier version of this recipe. Other favorites of us are vegan zucchini tomato casserole, zucchini fritters and Turkish rice and ground beef stuffed zucchini.

You will be surprised by the simplicity of this recipe! It is creamy thanks to yogurt and wonderfully cheesy.
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Ingredients
This cheesy zucchini casserole has three layers with:
- Shredded zucchini
- Grated mozzarella (as much as you want). You can use cheddar too or a combination of both.
- Yogurt: We prepare a creamy sauce with thick yogurt, one tablespoon of flour and an egg. You can substitute sour cream for yogurt if you want.
Tip: If you are using dark green zucchinis just like the ones in the picture above, we recommend that you peel all or most of the skin. It gives a bitter taste otherwise.
Alternative Add-Ins:
Rice: You can add 1 cup cooked rice in the grated zucchini mixture if you want to add some carb into this casserole. You can buy cooked rice from the store. If you know how to cook rice, you can do so. Cook 1 cup rice in 1 and ½ cup boiling water (or 1 and ¼ for some types like Arborio rice) over low heat until all the water is gone.
Herbs: You can add some herbs like green onions, parsley and fresh dill. These would definitely make the dish even tastier.
Meat: Chicken or ground beef makes a wonderful additions to make this zucchini casserole cheesy and meaty. If you have leftover chicken, chop it into pieces and add it as a separate layer on zucchini. Just don’t use raw chicken as it will release juice and destroy the texture of the casserole. The same is true for beef. Cook it beforehand, then place over the zucchini and continue with the cheese and yogurt sauce.
How To Make
Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Lightly brush a small baking pan with olive oil or use a cooking spray for this and put it aside.



First, grate zucchinis. We prefer peeling them as the dark green skin could taste bitter. If you use light green zucchinis, you don't need to peel them.
Then, squeeze the grated zucchinis. Use your hands for this. Take a handful of zucchini and squeeze it in your hands firmly. Measure three cups of squeezed zucchini and put it aside.



Next, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1 cup thick yogurt, one egg and one tablespoon of flour until smooth.
Now sprinkle salt and pepper on the zucchini and mix it with your hand so that it is coated evenly.



Then, make the layers:
- Place half of the zucchini in the pan, gently press on it with the backside of a spoon.
- Sprinkle half of the grated mozzarella over it.
- Then pour half of the yogurt sauce all over it.
- Place the remaining zucchini over the sauce.
- And pour the remaining yogurt sauce.
Bake it for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on the top and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Serve this cheesy zucchini casserole warm as a side dish or a vegetarian meal. Optionally you can garnish it with fresh herbs when serving.

FAQs
No, it is not because we used one tablespoon of all purpose flour in the yogurt sauce for some consistency. But you can use a gluten-free flour of your choice like rice flour or corn meal or any other gluten-free flour on hand. Yogurt will do the work, so it really doesn’t matter. You can also check out our list of 15 Gluten Free Zucchini Recipes post if you’d like to see more options. Oh and for those who are into baking, Michelle of My Gluten Free Kitchen prepared a great list of 30+ Gluten-Free Recipes For Baking With Zucchini. I’m sure there is something for you, go visit her post!
Well, almost. As long as you ignore the carb from that little amount of all purpose flour. If you want to customize this dish for a keto diet, an alternative type of flour is recommended like almond flour or coconut flour. Also you can increase the amount of cheese or add in leftover chicken or ground beef too.
It is not a good idea to make it ahead of time because zucchini is such a juicy vegetable that it releases water as it waits. The best thing is to prepare it and bake immediately. On the other hand, you can bake it for the first 30 minutes and keep it in the fridge. Then you can sprinkle the cheese on the top and reheat it for 5-7 minutes.
No, this is not recommended due to the structure of zucchini. It might get soggy after it is thawed and reheated.
More Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Pie Recipe from The View From Great Island
- Lemon Dill Shrimp Zucchini Noodle Recipe from Wonky Wonderful
If you are following Give Recipe for a while, you might have realized that we’ve shared LOTS of zucchini recipes since we began this blog. If you are a zucchini lover, just write ‘zucchini’ in the search box on the sidebar and find our 30+ zucchini recipes. Ok you can start with our readers’ all time favorite Chocolate and Yogurt Zucchini Bread if you are a chocolate lover and not after a low calorie recipe.
More Vegetarian Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
Vegetarian cheesy zucchini casserole made with zucchini, yogurt sauce and mozzarella.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup thick plain yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or flour of your choice
- 3 cups zucchini, grated and squeezed well (measured after squeezing)
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Lightly brush a 9-inch round baking pan (or 8x8 square pan) with olive oil or use a cooking spray for this and put it aside.
- Grate zucchinis. We use 4 but the number will vary because not all zucchinis are same size. Squeeze the grated zucchini well şn your hands and measure 3 cups.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg and flour until you have a smooth mixture.
- Sprinkle salt and black pepper on squeezed zucchini and mix with your hands so that it is coated evenly.
- Brush the baking pan with little olive oil or use a cooking spray. Place half of the grated zucchini in it for the 1st layer. Top it with half of the mozzarella for the 2nd layer. Then pour and half of the yogurt sauce for the 3rd layer. Put the remaining zucchini on it for the 4th layer. Pour the remaning yogurt sauce over it for the 5th layer.
- Bake it for 35 min until almost golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on the top and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden.
Notes
- You should squeeze the grated zucchini very well. Otherwise, you end up with a watery or soggy casserole.
- You can use your choice of gluten-free flour to make it a gluten-free casserole.
- You can use coconut flour or almond flour to make it even more keto-friendly.
- Freezing is not recommended due to the structure of zucchini.
- If you want to make it ahead of time: Bake it for the first 30 minutes, let it cool and keep in the fridge for the following day. So you will just preheat the oven, sprinkle the cheese over it and bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 128
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 782 mg
- Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
- Protein: 15.3 g
- Cholesterol: 59.6 mg
Karen says
I’m a very impatient person so I used a potato ricer to squeeze the grated zucchini. And I baked it in a lasagna Pan so I was able to cut it into serving squares. One serving on Weight Watchers Green Plan comes to 1 smartpoint.
Mark Viviano says
I have made it several times to rave reviews! I want to know if this can be made day before and then baked On the day if you were going to serve it
Penny G. says
I added cooked chicken and Italian seasoning. Also, I had pepper jack and cheddar but no mozzarella cheese, and still delicious!
Healthy Kitchen 101 says
This casserole is truly the best for zucchini fanatics 😍 you did rock the zucchini, Zerrin!
- Natalie
Zerrin says
Thank you Natalie! Zucchini is at its best in this recipe. Hope you have a chance to try it.
Janet says
Good besides the pepper overboard! I would probably do about 1/2 tsp.
Baila says
I had the same experience
Was way to heavy for me
Amanda says
Sooooo easy and sooooo good! It’s actually still in the oven, but I had a little taste❤️
Zerrin says
Hi Amanda! I'm sooo happy to hear that! Enjoy the late summer zucchini!
Lynn says
I made this last night and it’s a new favorite! So much yum. Thanks for sharing it. I can’t wait to make it again.
Zerrin says
Hi Lynn! I'm so happy to hear that you loved it! One of our favorite summer dishes. It's incredibly tasty, isn't it?
Debby says
What size baking pan?
Nancy says
This was SUPER delicious! The bomb! Using my new food processor I started with the wrong blade and had two mushed zucchini...changed the blade and added two more with the right consistency. Squeezed the devil out of the salted zucchini and the dish came out perfect in spite of my mistake. That topping was lovely...so delicate. I added a bit of parmesan to give it a little bite. Can't wait to make it again! I like the idea of adding chard and similar items on hand. Thanks so much!
Zerrin says
Hi Nancy! Glad to hear that you love the recipe! We've made it several times this summer as well. I'm planning to try this with ground beef and if we love it as much as this one, I'll share it on the blog too. Cheers!
charlotte says
I can't figure out if this has been on my "to-do list" for 1 year or 2. No matter. I made it and it was delicious. It also used up the most zucchini of all my saved recipes. (stirred in a clove of grated garlic, some chopped chard, and some herbs. Oh, and some feta.) It's a keeper!
karen says
Does anyone have the nutritional information for this recipe
Karen says
Have you or anyone else ever made this with spaghetti squash? I cooked a spaghetti squash and want something different to do with it. I made the zucchini version and oh my, it was absolutely delicious. I ate the whole thing in 2 meals. Yum.
Zerrin says
Hi Karen! Glad you loved this recipe. We don't have spaghetti squash here in Turkey so I haven't had any experience with it. I'd love to hear the result here if you try the recipe with the spaghetti squash. IT might give an idea to others too. Cheers!
Nancy says
This sounds great and I am definitely going to try it! Would like to know what size the casserole dish was? Was thinking I could double the recipe and use a 9x12 size? Also, did you use regular yogurt or greek style?
Thanks!
Zerrin says
Hi Nancy, you can definitely double the recipe and a 9x12 is just fine. I used regular plain yogurt. Enjoy!
Leo Sigh says
I just bought a ton of zucchini at my local farmers market here in Bangkok (it's not always easy to find here, so I buy a lot when I do) and now I'm looking for new zucchini recipes to try 🙂 Will definitely give this one a go. It looks easy and is not loaded down with fat like so many of the other zucchini recipes I've discovered. Thanks.
adina says
This recipe sounds lovely. I am also in a zucchini frenzy lately. I have 4 large ones in the celler, so I am cooking something with zucchini every other day. Last week I made your baked zucchini with cheese. They were great.