Who doesn’t love a good healthy meat-free dish like this flavor-packed vegan zucchini tomato casserole? No cheese, no cream, no beef, no eggs in this casserole, but it is bursting with flavors. Even vegetable haters gobble it up and ask for more!
You know zucchini is a super healthy vegetable as it is rich in fiber and a staple for low carb diets. So we try to use it in several ways during summer.
Summer is the time we enjoy zucchini/courgette the most. Besides this vegan casserole, we often use this versatile vegetable to make vegetarian recipes like mucver fritters and zucchini stew with tomatoes.
This zucchini casserole recipe is one of the most popular recipes on the blog. It is a great summer dish because it is the best option when the temperature is high outside. Perfect way to use up the zucchini you have too! Enjoy it as a light lunch/dinner or a side dish.
Ok let’s move on to the details of this zucchini tomato casserole now.
Why Everyone Loves This Recipe
- It is incredibly easy to make. Very similar to our Cauliflower Bake (Turkish Karnabahar Yemegi). The ingredients themselves are very easy and quick to prepare and once the casserole is in the oven to bake, you can simply sit back and wait.
- It is a favorite vegetarian recipe amongst our readers because of its simplicity and versatility, you can easily substitute any of these ingredients and even easily add some others!
- This is a recipe you can make ahead of time. Reheat it or just serve at room temperature.
- Not only is this a delicious flavor-packed dish, but it is low calorie and stuffed with nutrients too. Zucchini and tomatoes are full of nutrients and antioxidants.
- You can use the leftovers as a topping on your pasta or salad. For example, we love it in our wheat berry salad.
About The Ingredients
For this easy zucchini casserole, the main ingredients you need include zucchini, fresh tomatoes and garlic, fresh parsley and green onions, as well as lemon juice, olive oil, white vinegar or grape vinegar, and some spices.
Each of these ingredients is incredibly easy to find and even substitute if need be. You can have a look at our variations section to see how you can substitute these ingredients.
Because zucchini is the hero ingredient for this dish, make sure to pick the freshest and most ripe ones you can find.
How To Make It
This is an incredibly easy recipe to make and once it's inside the oven, you can simply sit back and relax – or make one of our delicious accompaniments!
- Make the tomato mixture. Combine the pureed tomatoes, garlic, parsley, spices, green onions, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Make sure you mix the ingredients well so they are equally distributed.
- Thinly slice the zucchini. No need to peel them, but if you want, you can.
- Combine them with the pureed tomato mixture. Each slice should be well coated in the red sauce. Use your hand to help coat them without breaking the slices
- Grease a baking dish with a little oil or using a cooking spray. Transfer the slices to your prepared baking dish.
- Bake the dish for roughly 45 minutes or until the top gets a nice golden brown color.
Variations
- You can substitute the parsley with fresh coriander/cilantro or fresh basil leaves.
- You can easily substitute the green onions with either white or red onions. You can even try using shallots or salad onions.
- To create a chunkier texture, you can use 1-2 tomatoes (sliced or diced) and 1 cup of pureed tomatoes.
- You can make a cheese mixture combining grated Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle some to the mixture before baking if you want.
- You can add a few more veggies like eggplants and cherry tomatoes to get even more summer flavors.
- For a crunchy topping, you can sprinkle panko or bread crumbs on the top and then bake. If you want, use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Tips
- Slice the zucchini thinly. You can use a mandoline slicer to do this.
- Use the freshest and tastiest tomatoes you can find. They give the best flavor you need in this zucchini tomato casserole. If you can’t find good tomatoes, then we would suggest you add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- For the vinegar, it is also very important to use a good quality flavorful kind. For this courgette recipe, we prefer using grape vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is a fantastic choice too and has a good balance of sweetness and tang. Here is a great article describing the differences between types of vinegar. You can experiment with some of them and see which you prefer.
- If you don’t like the aroma of vinegar or don’t have it on hand, use more lemon juice instead.
- Make sure 4-5 slices of zucchini overlap in the baking dish, not more than this. So make sure your baking pan is not too small for all the slices.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this casserole either hot or at room temperature. We always pair it with some yogurt or cacik dip. If you are following a vegan diet, use your favorite plant-based yogurt.
If you are planning to have it for a lunch or dinner menu, you can also make some orzo rice pilaf or bulgur pilaf to serve on the side.
How To Store
You can store this zucchini tomato bake either before or after it has been cooked. To store it before, combine and layer all of the ingredients inside the baking dish. Simply place a layer of plastic wrap on the surface of the zucchinis and then wrap the entire dish.
The same method applies for an already baked zucchini casserole; simply place a layer or wrap on the surface, then wrap the entire dish.
Store the zucchini and tomato casserole inside the refrigerator for up to 5 days, cooked or uncooked.
If you want to store any leftover casserole, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them inside the refrigerator for roughly 4-5 days.
FAQs
You don’t have to peel them, but you can if you want to. We love the hints of green color it adds to the dish as well as the crunchier texture.
Yes, you can. Both have a mild taste, so you will probably end up with the same result.
This dish can be frozen and will keep well inside the freezer. Make sure you place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the casserole before covering it. You can either store it inside an airtight container or wrap the entire baking dish.
Keep the dish inside a freezer for up to 2 months. To heat again, simply thaw the casserole in the fridge before heating it in an oven.
Yes, you can. Use a shallow pan for this so that the zucchini slices won’t get steamed and mushy. That being said, we should say that oven baking gives the dish a nicer flavor.
More Zucchini Recipes
- Turkish Stuffed Zucchini
- Fried Zucchini Chips
- Zucchini Baba Ghanoush from Little Ferraro Kitchen
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📖 Recipe
Zucchini Tomato Casserole (Vegan)
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large zucchini thinly sliced
- 3 large tomatoes pureed (makes 2 cups)
- 6 cloves garlic mashed
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ½ cup green onions chopped
- 1 medium lemon squeezed
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder Mexican or another type
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Mix pureed tomato, garlic, parsley, green onions, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and spices in a medium bowl.
- Put zucchini slices in a large bowl and pour the pureed tomato mixture over them. Stir well using your hand so that each zucchini slice is coated with the red sauce.
- Transfer them in a large baking dish so that the layer is not very thick. Bake for about 45 minutes or the top gets golden.
- Serve hot or cold.
NOTES
- Slice the zucchini thinly. You can use a mandoline slicer to do this.
- Use the freshest and tastiest tomatoes you can find. They give the best flavor you need in this zucchini tomato casserole. If you can’t find good tomatoes, then we would suggest you add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- For the vinegar, it is also very important to use a good quality flavorful kind. For this courgette recipe, we prefer using grape vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is a fantastic choice too and has a good balance of sweetness and tang.
- If you don’t like the aroma of vinegar or don’t have it on hand, use a bit more lemon juice instead.
- Make sure 4-5 slices of zucchini overlap in the baking dish, not more than this. So make sure your baking pan is not too small for all the slices.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Monika says
I don’t know what happened but this dish turn my oven into a bloody mess! The meal was tasty ect but I won’t make it again cos it took me like an hour to scrub the oven 🤦♀️
Kim Southcott says
Omg so good! My garden’s zucchini is coming in almost daily and I will repeat this recipe many times and tell others about it. Love it!
Zerrin says
Hi Kim! I'm so happy to hear that you loved this easy peasy casserole as much as I do. Incredibly tasty, isn't it? Enjoy all the zucchinis in your garden!
Steven Hooper says
Found this recipe while trying to figure out what to do with the massive zucchinis a friend gave me and I’m so thankful that I did! I used sweet onion instead of green onion and cilantro instead of parsley. I baked it in a 9x13 baking dish and layered it thick, baking it for one hour until it bubbled through the center. Was absolutely fantastic. A new favorite. Thank you!!!
Zerrin says
Hi Steven! I’m so happy that you loved the recipe and made your own twist on it. Isn’t it a great way to use up the tons of zucchinis? Thanks for your feedback and the rating!
Alexia Brown says
I really want to try this recipe, my grandma gave me a bunch of giant zucchini from her garden, but I’m not a good cook... I think I can make this. My only question is what kind of vinegar do I use? The recipe just calls for “vinegar” but do you recommend Apple Cider Vinegar? White/red vinegar? Thanks in advance!
Zerrin says
Hi Alexia! It's really an easy recipe, so I don't think you will have a problem. I use apple cider vinegar, but all types work fine. Enjoy the zucchinis you have!
Mary says
Great recipe!
I am not bored with your many zucchini recipes in fact I am thankful 🙂
I am always looking for new ways to prep these green goodies..
If your garden is healthy, you will be too!!
Amber says
Best way to make this dish:
Put on a metal baking sheet with rim and bake at 425 for 25-30 min.
I used regular white onion instead of green and no Mexican pepper. It was amazing!
Zerrin says
I'm glad you liked it Amber! Your version sounds great too!
Lexi says
Very disappointed. I tried this exactly as written and it was just not edible. It was extremely spicy. The texture was all funky and overall just bleh.
Pat says
I made this last night. Very disappointed. 45 minutes was too long to bake. On about half the pan, the red sauce turned black and I had to scrape what was left of the zucchini to get it out of the pan. Of the part of the sauce that did not burn, that was too thick and salty. I’m trying to figure out how to salvage the rest of the zucchini. I may just attempt to rinse off the sauce and see if that would make it edible. And I don’t understand a prep time of 15 minutes. Washing and cutting all those veggies took me about 40 minutes+. Disappointing, all that time, effort and food, wasted.
Ramani says
Pat, on the recipe ingredients it says (one example) "3 large zucchinis thinly sliced" so that means when you have everything sliced and made already then the recipe prep time will be 15 minutes. Almost every recipe is written like this since people want the shortest time to make a dish but that isn't really possible at all.
Sarah says
Could you add squash?
Zerrin says
Hi Sarah, I think squash would be great in this recipe!
Thisisn'tveganyou'readouche says
This isn't VEGAN. Eggs are NOT vegan. You need to educate yourself on what vegan means, you only prove yourself to be ignorant. good job, you wasted my time and now you get to read this.. LIVE cruelty free, Eggs are not needed to bind ANYTHING. LIVE CRUELTY FREE, and don't lie in your recipes to get attention. makes you look like a dipshit.
Zerrin says
Hi, I wish you had read the recipe before writing this comment. This is a true VEGAN casserole recipe with NO eggs. I guess you watched the video below the post and misunderstood. It is a list of our casserole recipe videos, and I put it there to help our readers who are looking for casserole recipes.
Stella says
This is in response to "thisisntveganyoureadouche"...
You sit there calling this poor girl names and insulting her when you're the one who is in the wrong. Before you berate someone and get on your vegan high horse, perhaps you should have all the facts straight.
Katie says
Just made it - it's delicious!
Zerrin says
Happy to hear this Katie!
Meena Bala says
Followed the recipe as given but the puree was more than what it was needed looks like. Even after 40 mins of baking the puree was stagnant in the tray. But the dish tasted good. So next time will try with half of tomato puree.
Zerrin says
Hi Meena, I'm not sure why the puree was more than needed in your case, but I love extra sauce on my zucchini and it wouldn't be a problem for me:)
Patricia says
Hello, I did tomato zucchini recipe, now is in the oven but I am shure that this salad or whatever will delicious!!! I taste before put it in the oven. I think I will love it!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
kevin mcguinness says
I could not stop eating this. The recipe could use a little more detail -- large zucchinis vary greatly in size, -- add approximately how many cups are used. I cooked it longer as the sauce had not set up -- another 20 minutes at 450 degrees. I also used a vahalla onion instead of green (I did not have any). I used sea salt. I added a splash of red wine. I might try two baking sheets instead of one large casserole dish -- it might be ready at original cooking time with that method -- key is sauce should set up .
Sally says
Good to know, Kevin. The two baking sheets sounds like a great idea. Trying tonight.
KalynsKitchen says
Good morning (or make that evening for you!) Just letting you know that I featured this salad in my May round-up of Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes, which was posted this morning. Love the recipe; I hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try it!
Zerrin says
Thank you Kalyn for including my zucchini casserole in your list. Zucchini is never tasteless with this recipe!