Zucchini Sausage Casserole
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 07/31/2023 - Last updated on 09/20/2023
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This Zucchini Sausage Casserole is an easy and healthy family dinner for using your summer zucchini.
With delicious crunchy zucchini slices cooked in a homemade tomato sauce and tasty pieces of ground sausage, this casserole is a creamy delicacy.
If you are always on the look for easy dinners that are filling, high in proteins, and packed with vitamins and vegetables, this recipe is for you!
This zucchini sausage casserole ticks all these boxes, and even kids love it. You can make it with any kind of sausage, like plant-based variations, if you have some plant-forward guests on your table.
How To Make Zucchini Sausage Casserole
This is one of the easiest dinners to prepare in less than 30 minutes and such a perfect way to use many zucchini that often take over your veggie garden in summer.
Ingredients
All you need to make this zucchini casserole are:
- Fresh Zucchinis – Trim the ends and keep them unpeeled to save all the vitamins and nutrients.
- Olive Oil
- Onion
- Bell Pepper – any color, green or red are my favorite options
- Garlic
- Ground Italian Sausage – I suggest chicken sausage meat to cut down the fat or any ground sausage meat you love, like pork or turkey. You can use plant-based meat if you prefer.
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt
- Ground Pepper
- Diced Tomatoes form a can, undrained
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Shredded Cheddar
- Broth or you can use any kind of broth from beef broth to vegetable broth
Preparation
First, trim the zucchini ends, and using a long sharp knife, slice the zucchini crosswise into thin slices of about 1/4 of an inch.
Set aside in a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cooking The Meat
In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Then, add diced onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant, then stir in sausage, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Cook sausage over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, breaking the meat with a spoon to form a small ground.
Stir in the diced bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and cook until bell pepper softens – about 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, and place the cooked sausage mixture on a plate.
Meanwhile, in the same skillet add the remaining oil and add the zucchini slices. Cook and stir for 1 minute then add diced canned tomatoes – undrained – and broth.
Reduce the heat and cook until the zucchini softens – about 5 to 7 minutes.
In the end, return the cooked sausage mixture to the pan and stir to combine.
Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle both cheeses on top of the dish.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese has melted.
Serving
Serve the zucchini sausage casserole on its own as a low-carb dinner or with healthy sides like:
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Cauliflower Rice – classic cauliflower rice or cauliflower coconut rice.
- Cooked pasta
Storage Instructions
The great thing about casseroles is how long they store in the fridge or freezer. You can keep this casserole refrigerated for up to 3 days. Cover the dish with foil.
You can also place portions in airtight containers and freeze them for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge the day before and rewarm in a microwave-safe container or non-stick saucepan.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ideas to make this recipe with a few variations if you need them.
- Meat-Free – There are plenty of plant-based ground meat options that are made from natural ingredients and not overly processed. Otherwise, try rehydrated textured soy protein, lentils, or tofu crumble.
- Low-Sodium – You can use low-sodium broth or replace it with water.
- Zucchini – You can also use round yellow squash for this recipe.
- Dairy-Free – Feel free to use any dairy-free grated cheese alternatives you love.
- Green Bell Pepper Swap – You can replace the bell pepper with sliced button mushrooms or simply skip it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are my answers to your most common questions about this recipe.
You must use oil to cook sausage meat in your cast iron, or it will stick badly to the surface.
Heat a tablespoon of your favorite cooking oil, like avocado oil or olive oil, before adding the meat to the skillet.
You know the sausages are cooked when the meat in the center is no longer pink.
Depending on the thickness of the sausage, or if you break the sausage meat with a spoon, it can take from 6 to 10 minutes to cook.
Sausage goes well with Italian flavors like basil, Parsley, Parmesan, or marinara sauce.
Italian sausage goes well with tomato-based sauce, or cream cheese garlic sauce.
More Casserole Recipes
If you like healthy casserole recipes, you’ll love these other options:
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Zucchini Sausage Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil divided
- 1 small Onion deseeded, diced
- 1 Bell Pepper diced, red or green
- 2 Garlic Cloves crushed
- 1 pound Ground Chicken Sausage Meat or ground Pork Sausage Meat
- 5 medium Zucchini sliced into 1/4 "slices, 600 g (21oz)
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes undrained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce or tamari sauce
- ½ cup Shredded Mozzarella
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar
- ¼ cup Broth – I used low sodium beef broth or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare a large baking dish and lightly oil the surface with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, or non-stick pan, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and. Cook a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the sausage meat, salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper, and use a wooden spatula to break the meat into the pan. Crumbling the meat is the best to create a ground. Cook until no longer pink – about 6 minutes.
- Stir in diced bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until softened.
- Remove the cooked sausage mixture from the heat. Set aside in a bowl.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add zucchini slices. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in crushed canned tomatoes – undrained – and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer,
- Keep cooking for 5-7 minutes, uncovered, stirring once in a while, until the zucchinis are tender and the liquid reduce lightly
- Bring back the cooked sausage mixture in the skillet, stir evenly, and keep cooking for an extra minute until warm.
- Transfer the mixture to the large baking dish, sprinkle the cheese on top of the casserole, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve with fresh herbs like Parsley or basil or cooked brown rice, cooked quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
Storage
- Store the cooled leftover in the fridge, cover the baking dish with a piece of foil, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Thaw the day before in the fridge.
- Rewarm in the microwave, in a microwave-safe bowl, or rewarm in a non-stick saucepan.
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About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
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This is scrumptious!!
Easy to make too!