Cheesy Zucchini Rice Casserole
This creamy, cheesy zucchini casserole combines fresh garden zucchini with leftover rice to make an easy side dish. Golden brown on top and packed with plenty of cheddar cheese, this gluten-free casserole recipe will have even the pickiest eaters devouring their veggies!
If you’re looking for more ways to use zucchini, try my gluten-free carrot zucchini muffins or these Mediterranean-inspired chicken zucchini boats.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Mediterranean
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Vegetarian
- Skill Level: Easy
When late summer arrives, zucchini recipes are everywhere. However, I actually love zucchini all year long. That is why I created this hodgepodge of a zucchini casserole recipe that has become a family favorite! I combined extra zucchini with leftover rice (yes, rice is gluten-free), shredded cheese, and seasonings, and the result was a creamy, cheesy casserole loaded with veggies and flavor. I was absolutely floored at how awesome it was. And now it is something we make regularly.
Reasons You’ll Love This Zucchini Casserole Recipe
- Zucchini is naturally gluten-free. It’s one of my favorite ingredients, as it’s available in the grocery store year-round, easy to cook, and super versatile. It’s a great “hidden veggie” in recipes like zucchini tater tots and my Italian noodle casserole.
- Easy to make. This easy zucchini casserole recipe comes together quickly. Stir the ingredients together, and toss them in the oven. You’ll have time to prepare a side salad or the rest of your meal while the casserole bakes.
- Adaptable. There are so many delicious ways to adapt this zucchini casserole depending on what you and your family like. It’s wonderful for using up leftovers!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need. Keep reading for additional tips and serving ideas, or scroll all the way to the recipe card for the full amounts and step-by-step instructions.
- Zucchini – You’ll need 2 medium zucchini. This recipe is flexible, so don’t worry about measuring an exact amount. Choose ripe, deep green zucchini without any soft spots or blemishes.
- Plain Greek yogurt – You can use nonfat, lowfat, or whole milk yogurt. Just be sure it isn’t flavored.
- Egg – Just one to bind it.
- Seasonings – Dry mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can adapt the spices to taste. Add cayenne or Cajun seasoning for a spicier kick.
- Cheddar cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar gives it great flavor. You can use white or yellow cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack.
- Leftover cooked rice – Follow my easy methods to cook white rice or brown rice, or use leftovers that you cooked for another recipe. This casserole is also a great way to use up leftover takeout rice.
How to Make Zucchini Casserole
The most important thing is not to end up with a soggy, watery casserole. For this reason, you’ll need to drain the grated zucchini to get reid of extra moisture. Don’t skip this step! Once the zucchini is ready, follow the steps below to prepare this easy zucchini rice casserole:
- Trim and grate the zucchini. Cut the ends off the zucchini and shred it using a cheese grater.
- Squeeze out the water. Place the shreds in an old kitchen towel, and squeeze tightly to remove the excess moisture.
- Prepare for baking. Start by preheating the oven to 400°F and greasing an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
- Combine the ingredients. In a bowl, stir the yogurt, egg, and seasonings together. Add the zucchini, rice, and cheese, and stir until combined.
- Bake the casserole. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and set.
- Slice and serve. Let cool slightly. Then cut into squares and serve.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Squeeze it well. The key step is making sure you squeeze all of the moisture out of the zucchini. So wrap it in an old towel and keep squeezing until you see that there is almost no more liquid being released.
- Use leftover rice. When rice is at least a day old and has gotten cold in the refrigerator, it gets dried out a little. This helps it to absorb some of the moisture from the zucchini.
- Scoop it if needed. If you happen to end up with a zucchini casserole that doesn’t quite hold together in squares, just scoop it out of the pan with a spoon and enjoy. It’ll still taste delicious.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Proper storage. You can cover the pan with plastic wrap or transfer any leftove rpieces of the casserole to an airtight container. Then refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing it. The combination of zucchini, cheese, and yogurt will lead to a watery, unpleasant texture when it it frozen and thawed.
- Reheat till steaming hot. You can return the pan to the oven until it is fully heated through, or place pieces on a microwave-safe plate and heat it up in the microwave.
Make it a Meal
Wondering what to serve with cheesy zucchini casserole? I especially love it in the summer with grilled flat iron steak or grilled chicken drumsticks. But it’s also great to enjoy year-round with some of our favorite family dinners like these:
- Serve with chicken. While the dish is in the oven, you can easily make baked BBQ chicken breasts alongside it or honey mustard chicken bites on the stove.
- Kid-friendly meals. Since anything cheesy is a great way to get the kids eating their veggies, serve this casserole as a side with favorites like hot dog taquitos or BBQ turkey meatballs.
- Add beef. You also can’t go wrong serving this veggie and rice casserole with chili lime cube steaks or steak bites to pair with it.
More Zucchini Recipes
Cheesy Zucchini Casserole with Rice
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini , shredded (about 2-2 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 oz.)
- 1 cup leftover cooked rice (white or brown rice)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Coat a 8×8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Shred 2 medium zucchini, then place the shredded zucchini in a kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, , 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth.
- Stir in the squeezed zucchini, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 cup leftover cooked rice.
- Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly set in the middle and lightly browned.
- Slice into 16 squares and serve.
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The Hodge Podge looks great! It’s almost a frittata, but you’d need a few more eggs for that 😉
Thanks Anne! Yes, I was thinking it was a little like a frittata, but I wanted the cheese and zucchini to stand out more, so I stuck with just one egg to bind it.
I love recipes using leftovers and I’m always looking for more. Hodge Podge is a great name for this dish and it looks delicious.
Whenever I can use up stuff in the fridge, I am happy. And the name credit totally goes to one of my Facebook followers.
The throw bits and bobs together recipes usually turn out to be fabulous and my favorites. How can you go wrong with rice, zucchini, and cheese?
Cheese makes everything better! 🙂
I don’t get Facebook at all. It just makes my head spin, but I totally get this awesome zucchini dish! Looks great!
Thanks! It was yummy!
I know what you mean, Brianne. I have over 900 fans on my FB page but the most who have seen my posts are about 300 people. Usually it’s under 100. What’s up with that?! Rant away, lady. And I love this cheesy zucchini hodge podge. It’s always the simple, random recipes that end up tasting the best!
Ugh, Facebook is so annoying and I am having such a hard time getting into Google+.
Call it whatever you like, it looks delicious
Haha, thanks!
Wow, that looks delicious! I love how creamy and cheesy it sounds!
Creamy and cheesy without being overly rich! We loved it.
I love this hodge podge idea. But more than that, I love how you handled explaining the FB thing to your readers. I’m going to do the same thing soon. I might even quote you! You said it perfectly and kindly and in a way that explained the problem. Well done!
Thanks, it has been frustrating me because I miss the interaction I used to have.
Leftovers are perfect for a fast meal, It can be a blessing sometimes.
The other night when the hubby wasn’t home, the Bug and I ate little bits of everything (including the last of this dish) and called it dinner. It was perfect, and kept me from throwing stuff away.
I love a good hodge podge recipe! Yeah, FB has such a wonky algorithm going on that I stopped trying to figure it out a while ago!
Sometimes the random stuff you throw together is the best.