Delicious casseroles can be prepared not only from cottage cheese, but also from zucchini. Having tried at least once a zucchini casserole, you will fall in love with it from the first bite and will cook very often. Despite the apparent simplicity of this dish, it will give you new taste sensations, and the body will enrich with useful substances. Depending on the added ingredients, you can control the calorie content of the dish, making it dietary or more satisfying.
Zucchini casserole - general principles and methods of preparation
Cooking any casserole involves chopping the products, mixing them with sauce or egg mixture and further baking. Zucchini casserole is no exception. Therefore, zucchini is cut into circles, rubbed on a grater or mashed (usually from old fruits). Then mixed with other ingredients, pour sauce and bake. There are many ways to cook it. The recipe may include tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes, minced meat, bell peppers, bread, cheese and other products. Limit the variety of which can only your taste preferences.
Zucchini casserole - product preparation
Special preparation for casseroles does not require zucchini. They are washed and then triturated or cut into mugs. Rough skin is removed from overripe fruits. The remaining products are also crushed. Often casserole recipes include feta cheese or mozzarella. In order not to run around the shops and markets in search of foreign cheese, replace it with domestic counterparts - Brynza, Suluguni, Adyghe, Tushino. Just try to take cheeses not strong salinity.
Zucchini casserole - best recipes
Recipe 1: Zucchini Casserole
This casserole is juicy and very mouth-watering. It will be enjoyed not only by adults, but also by children. Its preparation will not take much time and will resolve the issue with dinner. If you want to make the dish more nutritious, add a small piece of chopped bacon. Zucchini is suitable for squash of any grade and degree of maturity, only from overripe fruits do not forget to remove the seeds and remove the skin.
Ingredients: 1 kilogram of zucchini, 2 heads of onions, 4 eggs, 300 g of feta cheese (soft feta cheese, Adyghe), 2 garlic cloves, vegetable oil, one bunch of any herbs to your taste, salt, 50 g of any hard cheese (sprinkle with casserole).
Cooking method
Lightly fry the zucchini, chopped on a coarse grater, and set aside for about ten minutes, so that the glass is excess liquid (you can fold it into a colander).
Finely chop the onion, fry until golden brown. At this stage, add the bacon, which is fried along with the onion (this is if you decide to make a casserole with bacon).
Beat eggs, add zucchini, fried onions, chopped cheese, garlic and greens, salt and mix.
The dishes where the dish will be baked, greased with oil, pour the mixture into it, sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven (190 C) for 30 minutes.
Cool the finished casserole, cut into slices and serve.
Recipe 2: Zucchini Casserole with Minced Meat
A casserole cooked according to this recipe will please meat-eaters. It can be said that this is a full-fledged second course - with meat and a vegetable side dish. Therefore, it can be safely served for dinner. In addition, you do not have to stand at the stove for a long time. While the casserole is preparing, you can do other things.
Ingredients: 3 small young squash, 300-500 g of any minced meat, 2-3 pcs. tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic, 100-150 g sour cream (mayonnaise), oil grows. - 2 tbsp. tablespoons salt / ground pepper, 70-100 g of hard cheese.
Cooking method
Zucchini cut into thin circles, salt, add chopped garlic, oil. Those who like can add some spices or seasoning to their taste. Put half the zucchini in the mold.
Add minced meat, pepper, knead and put in a second layer. Grease with sour cream or mayonnaise. Put the tomatoes, sliced into circles, and again a layer of zucchini with a third layer. Grease with sour cream (mayonnaise) and send for 30 minutes in the oven (180-200 degrees). Sprinkle the casserole with cheese and bake for another 10 minutes, so that the cheese has melted and the crust is browned. You can serve the dish on the table in the same dish in which it was prepared.
Recipe 3: Young Zucchini Casserole
This casserole just melts in your mouth. It turns out tender and not at all greasy. One hundred grams of it contains a little over 100 calories, so it is ideal for people who adhere to a healthy and dietary diet. It can be baked on a baking sheet or in a pan, or in small cupcake tins, which children will especially enjoy.
Ingredients: medium-sized young zucchini, 1 small onion, bunch of green onions, mozzarella (feta cheese) - 100 g, 2 tablespoons. tablespoons finely grated hard cheese, half a glass of flour and 1 tsp. baking powder, a glass of low-fat milk (incomplete), 1 tsp. vegetable oil (in the dough), eggs - 2 pcs., spices: pepper and salt.
Cooking method
Turn on the oven, preheat to 200 C. Finely chop the onions and green onions (individually). Zucchini and mozzarella (feta cheese) coarsely grate. Mix all the ingredients with each other and put in a baking dish, which must be greased with oil.
Cook the dough. Add baking powder to the flour and pour milk, stirring constantly and breaking the lumps with a spoon. Drive eggs into the resulting dough, add pepper, vegetable oil, salt. Mix the mass and pour into the form of zucchini. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of the casserole and put in the oven for about 35 minutes. Bake until a cheese crust of a beautiful golden color forms on the surface, which gives the dish a very appetizing appearance. Serve warm. Although the cooled casserole remains just as tasty.
Recipe 4: Casserole with Bechamel Sauce
Bechamel not only increases the nutritional value of this dish, but also gives a soft creamy taste, which makes it more attractive for gourmets. By adding various seasonings to the sauce - from nutmeg to oregano or basil, you can give the taste of the dish numerous shades. This casserole is cooked quite quickly, so it can be served for breakfast. And to speed up the process, zucchini can be fried in the evening.
Ingredients: 2 small squash, 50-70g of hard cheese, 1 cup of milk, butter - 50 g, flour - 2 tbsp. spoons, vegetable oil, pepper and salt.
Cooking method
On both sides, fry the zucchini, sliced in circles (1-1.5cm). If the zucchini has absorbed a lot of oil, you can put them in a colander for ten minutes, then pepper and salt.
Make the sauce. Melt the butter, fry the flour in it and pour in a thin stream of milk, stirring constantly. Boil the sauce until thickened, salt.
Grease a mold with butter, put zucchini, pour sauce, do not forget to sprinkle with grated cheese. The dish is cooked in the oven (180 C) for about 10-15 minutes. The casserole is served hot.
Zucchini casserole - tips from experienced chefs
If you are going to cook a casserole from overripe zucchini to make the dish tender, you should grind them first - boil and grind in mashed potatoes or grate. And also be sure to clean and remove the seeds.
