This easy Beefy Zucchini Casserole is perfect for the bounty of beautiful zucchini in your garden!
Got zucchini?? Then I’ve got the tastiest casserole for you!
Holy moly this casserole guys! I mean really, how delicious does it look??
This Beefy Zucchini Casserole has made an appearance on the summer dinner menu for over 30 years in my family. I think it all started when I was in high school and my mother went through a zucchini phase one summer.
Since it was always a hit at our house growing up, of course when I first got married it was one of the first recipes I tried making for you know who…Mr. Picky. Well, you can guess how that went right? Let me do a little recap and set the stage….
Tom gets home from work, the casserole is baking in the oven and the house smells amazing.
Tom says, “wow, it smells great in here. What’s cooking?” I carefully choose my words and say, “a casserole.”
He says, “ooohhh, let me see.” Get ready, here it comes folks.
“What’s that green stuff?” he says. Uh oh…busted.
I tell him it’s zucchini and he proceeds to say, “I don’t eat zucchini. How could you wreck a perfectly delicious casserole by adding zucchini?”
I mean really? It looks delish, it smells delish but you’re going to tell me you’re not even going to try it because you don’t eat zucchini? Ugh!
It’s been 27 years of marriage and he’s still sticking to the no zucchini diet. No prob. More for me!
This will be the easiest casserole you make all summer. All you’ll need is some ground beef, yellow onion, garlic, zucchini, shredded Colby Jack cheese and one can of cream of mushroom soup, and in less than an hour dinner is on the table. You can use canned condensed cream of mushroom soup, but I like to put in some minimal extra effort and make the Pioneer Woman’s Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. I think it tastes better than canned and there’s no MSG added. Enjoy!
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb. fresh zucchini sliced into 1/4" slices
- 6-8 oz. Colby Jack cheese shredded
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup or homemade version, recipe follows
- salt and pepper to taste
- Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 8 oz. button mushrooms finely chopped
- 1/4 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
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Brown ground beef with onion until beef is no longer pink. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Drain off grease.
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Place zucchini is sauce pan with a small amount of boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain.
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Whisk 1/4 cup water into the condensed soup until smooth. Set aside.
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Grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Add half of the meat, then half of the zucchini sprinkled with salt and pepper, then half the cheese. then half the soup mixture. Repeat the layers.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, uncovered.
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Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup:
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Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and onions and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes.Season with salt and pepper.
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Add flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Whisk in cream and chicken broth slowly until smooth. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
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When soup cools, place in a jar and store in refrigerator or freezer.
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Note: A 10 3/4-ounce can of condensed mushroom soup is about 1 1/4 cups. The recipe makes 1 1/2cups.
Recipe adapted from Make it Know, Bake it Later
You can send me some if you like cause I’ll definitely eat it!! What a neat way to use zucchini! Looks so comforting and I’m going to tell myself that the zucchini totally cancels out the cheese :) That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it ;) Pinned! Another yummy recipe, Mary Ann! Have a wonderful week! xo
You can have Tom’s helping Dawn! Have to have the cheese in this one! Soooo good!
Beefy!!!!!! YES!!! How the heck do you make cassaroles look SO gorgeous, Mary Ann?!?!? My casseroles always look like a sloppy mess. But yours?! STUNNING! I love that this recipe has been in your family for over 30 years and you ate this growing up! SO FUN! I have a feeling once I get this in my belly it is going to be a summer staple around here too! It looks beyond delicious! Pinned! Cheers, friend!
I’ve been eating this one almost as long as you’ve been alive Chey! Lol! Thanks for pinning. Hope you and Boy give it a go!
Oh heck yes! I can see why this has been in your family so long – a good casserole dish like this must be passed down! I went crazy at the farmer’s market Saturday and stocked up on sooo many zucchini, I’m thinking this may have to be one of the dishes I make now! So good.
Yay! I hope you do Michelle! You’ll have to tell me how you like it!
It’s pouring here today so this is perfect. Casseroles are such comfort food and now I’m totally craving this. And I even have zucchini in the fridge! Have a great week, Mary Ann!
This is an awesome summer comfort food dish Kelsie. I hope you give it a try. The homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup is so easy to make!
Wow!! How can a “Zucchini” casserole look so mouthwatering :D! And some amazing flavors too! Would love to try this :)
It’s sooo good Deepika! And it’s incredibly easy to make too! Enjoy!
We’ve got lots of zucchini here so this definitely needs to happen. What a casserole!
Yay! You’ll need to let me know how you guys liked it!
That’s a site! So savory and succulent! I love this dish, Mary Ann!! Pinned!
I still can’t believe Tom hasn’t given in and tried it Annie! He’s convinced himself he won’t like zucchini!
I love veggie casseroles like this! And this is such a great vehicle for all those summer zuchinnis!
Me too Naomi! They don’t get any easier!
I sure wish we were neighbors, Mary Ann! This sounds absolutely amazing… Pinned and looking forward to making it as soon as my zukes are ready! :-)
I know you’ll love it Michele! Let me know!
Oh no…”What’s that green stuff?” My brother-in-law is a lifelong zucchini hater and the only time my mother-in-law ever got it past him was to make a faux apricot jam. ;)
As for me, I can’t get enough zucchini and I think this casserole looks divine!
He won’t even give it a try Marissa! I tried to serve him a blueberry muffin the other day with shredded zucchini in it. He spotted it in a minute! No prob, more for me!
is there anything zucchini cannot do? OMG i mean this is just perfect all year round!
It is Lindsay! It’s one of my all time favorites!
There is so much about this post that I love. I felt like you wrote it for me the minute I saw the description – because I have a BOUNTY of zucchini in my garden! Also, your husband has literally quoted mine (or is it the other way around) – whenever I put something he doesn’t like into something he DOES like. So funny! But I like the way you think – more for us!!
Thanks so much Katherine! So glad you have lots of zucchini. I hope you try the recipe and enjoy it all yourself, like me!
I only have one zucchini plant and few zucchinis. My husband will not eat this delicious veggie , but I would love your casserole.
What is it with husbands and zucchini Gerlinde??
I love all the cheese in this bake. Sounds so good!
This casserole is like cheeseburger with zucchini on it Tieghan!
What a great way to use up zucchini! I’m also liking how this is total comfort food. We don’t get enough of that in the summer! :)
I agree Natasha! Summer needs comfort food too!
Poor Mr. Picky is missing out! :) I’ve got tons of zucchini in the garden just waiting for this beautiful dish!
I know Kathy! He doesn’t get it!
Simply perfect :)
It’s a winner for all those summer zukes!
This casserole looks AMAZING!!!! love that you used zucchini and it looks so hearty and cheesey! yum!
Thanks Alice! Grab some zucchini and get cookin’! You’ll love how easy this one is!
This looks so good!
Thanks Pamela! Hope you give it a go!
Due to the fact that I am currently swimming in zucchini, this casserole looks like absolute perfection!
Yay! Go for it Nicole!
Hahaha, I feel like we’ve had very similar conversations around our house! I cannot wait to make this, Mary Ann. I already know it will be a hit!
Lol! Enjoy it Tessa!
Such a perfect summer casserole for all that zucchini!
It’s a total favorite of mine Laura!
Oh, my gosh yes I have zucchini and it’s coming out of my ears. I have been yearning for new ways to use it up. This looks so creamy, delicious and satisfying! A home run Mary Ann!
I bet you’d love it Karen! It’s so easy and perfect for all the summer zucchini!
I finally had time to catch up and read some of my favorite blogs today and I am so glad I did. This looks outstanding Mary Ann. I am so making this one and yesterday we picked up a bunch of zucchini at the Farmer’s Market, too!
I’m so glad Kevin! I think you guys will love this one!
I added a seeded jalapeño. Fantastic! I doubled the recipe to accommodate a bigger dinner and there was nothing leftover.😫
So happy you enjoyed this dish William! It’s one of my favorites from growing up!
Made this last night. So easy to prep and throw together. After it was done and out of the oven my husband had to walk over and check it out. First question, “what’s all that green stuff”? I knew it! He made a bowl anyway and really liked it (he doesn’t eat veggies – ever). WIN WIN. The only thing I changed was the can of soup. I used cream of chicken because I’m not a big fan of mushrooms. The flavor was so great but next time I might cut back to 1/8 cup water added instead of 1/4 – it was a little too runny. I will definitely make this one again.
So happy you enjoyed it Lena! That was my husband’s first question too! They’re all alike! Lol!
Would this work with shredder or spiralized zucchini?
I’ve only tried it with sliced zucchini, but I’m thinking it could work with spiralized zucchini Rob. Let me know how it works out. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
My husband and I both loved this dish! I made my own cream of chicken and the extra water made it pretty runny, so next time, I may omit the water. This was a great way to eat loads of veggies without realizing it though!
So happy you both enjoyed it Caitlin. I grew up eating this one. Definitely omit the water. The zucchini is high in water content on its own. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment. And for following!