Zucchini Tomato Casserole with Bread Crumb Topping, melty mozzarella and delicious Parmesan cheese is an amazing layered vegetable casserole bake that will make you excited to eat your veggies!
The casserole is double stacked with two pieces for a striking presentation
You won’t believe how good layers of zucchini, tomatoes, and cheese can really taste all rolled up into crunchy bread topping making this crazy delicious baked tomato zucchini casserole.
This layered casserole takes the simplest of vegetables and turns them into an amazing casserole side dish that will have you enjoying piece after piece.
Casserole recipes are hands down some of the best ways to fill up a plate and with amazing flavorful options like spinach casserole and broccoli cheese casserole, its as simple as picking a vegetable and get baking.
Baked Tomato Zucchini Casserole
Just remember when you are cooking that this tomato zucchini casserole bake is best to rest (to allow it to solidify a bit after cooking) for about 5-8 minutes, and then cut into serving pieces to prevent toppling.
As far as serving as a side, tomato zucchini casserole is great along side simple baked chicken or even as a vegetarian dinner option alone.
This recipe is delicious, filling and totally as good as a restaurant!
Scroll to the bottom for a printable version of this post, including all measurements and instructions, so you can follow along in your kitchen without being on your phone.
Here is what you need to gather to get started:
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- garlic powder
- basil
- oregano
- salt and pepper
- zucchini squash
- tomatoes
- butter
- fine bread crumbs (Panko is best)
RELATED RECIPES: Zucchini Bread, Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole, Spinach Casserole, Shrimp and Asparagus Casserole, Broccoli Ham Casserole, Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers
Tomato Zucchini Casserole Recipe Variations
I like to keep this casserole super simple, but you could also test adding yellow squash or red onions for a twist.
The best way to not get flustered in a recipe is to make sure you cut and prep before you start.
Need Protein? Add Ground Beef or Sausage
Looking to turn your vegetable casserole bake into a full meal with protein?
While this recipe is fantastic on its own as a great side dish, you can also layer in some cooked beef, cooked sausage or cooked shredded chicken to create an unforgettable dinner!
Layered Zucchini and Tomato Casserole Bake
Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small bowl, add cheese and spices. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Set aside.
Place zucchini in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese mixture.
Top with tomatoes, in a single layer and 1/4 of the cheese mixture.
Repeat layers.
Simply layer your zucchini squash, cheese, tomatoes and repeat until top of casserole dish
Add melted butter and bread crumbs together and mix well.
Sprinkle on top of baking dish.
Create a crumb based topping for a perfect crunch
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
The last layer of this Italian inspired casserole is bread crumbs
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and top is crusty.
Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.
Stacked two pieces of vegetable bake to really dive down into the delicious layers of tomato and zucchini
Make sure you come back and tell me any changes you made, if you loved it and always be sure to share with me your pictures on social media by tagging with #SaltySideDish
Zucchini Tomato Casserole with Crumb Topping
Zucchini Tomato Casserole with Bread Crumb Topping - exciting gourmet side dish recipe with layered zucchini, fresh tomatoes, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan with a great crunchy bread crumb topping.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper
- 2 zucchini squash, sliced thin
- 4-5 tomatoes, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add cheese and spices. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place zucchini in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Top with tomatoes, in a single layer and 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers.
- Add melted butter and bread crumbs together and mix well. Sprinkle on top of baking dish.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and top is crusty.
- Let casserole stand 5 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 371mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 10g
Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.
Billie says
This was very easy to make. It was delicious and I felt was pretty healthy,
Trisha says
Thanks Billie!
Kitty says
This is one of the best recipes I’ve tried on Pinterest. Comes together easily, ingredients are readily available, not to heavy. Great compliment to any light dinner you’re planning!
Trisha says
Kitty- that makes my day. Thank you so much for trying my casserole dish!
Jody says
I made this dish and took it to a potluck. It was a hit. The hostess asked me for the recipe. It’s very easy to make, however I substituted two teaspoons of minced garlic for the garlic powder and used fresh oregano and basil (two teaspoons each, chopped fine) rather than dried herbs. It was delicious!
Gerry Kehoe says
I am lactose intolerant and can’t do soft cheeses. I used lactose free shredded cheddar and aged Parmesan which is naturally lactose free. My son-in-law is gluten intolerant and so I used gluten free breadcrumbs for the topping! It was a huge hit!!! 2nd time I made it I added sauteed onions and sauteed chicken strips per son-in-laws request!. Again it was delicious! My garden is producing lots of zucchini so now I have something else to do with it besides make zucchini bread! Yah!
Cassie says
This looks delicious. I’m about to go raid the rest of your blog for more ideas. Thanks!
Trisha says
Thanks Cassie, I am so glad you loved it!
Jen says
Can this be frozen? I have a lot of zucchini and want some side dishes to make and freeze. Thanks!
Trisha says
Jen, truthfully I have never made this to freeze so I hesitate answering that question. Traditionally tomatoes and zucchini both can be frozen, as well as breadcrumbs, so I dont see anything that strikes me as a CANT be frozen in this dish.
Marilyn says
I can’t wait to try this with veg donated from my wonderful neighbour. I do plan on adding crispy french fried onions to the bread crumbs/panko. Thank you!!!
Trisha says
That sounds delicious too!
Line Geerts says
Made this last evening and was simply delicious! Followed the recipe and didn’t change a thing- was perfect! This will be on the list of favourites for sure!
Sue says
I diced my zucchini and even added summer squash. So delicious!! I love the suggestion of adding french fried onions too. Also plan to try freezing a batch or two. Thanks!
Trisha says
Hi Sue! Thanks for commenting and so glad that you loved this casserole. Its one of my very favorites!
Genevieve says
This was so good! My insane children wouldn’t eat it, but the adults in the room ate the kids’ servings too, so I call it win-win. What a great recipe; it came just in time for my annual squash-fatigue. Thanks!
Barbara says
This recipe is too imprecise. It came out okay, but I like recipes that are very specific. Fresh herbs or dried? There is a big difference in how much to use depending on which you use. Also, zucchini vary a lot in size from small to huge. How thin should the slices be? It just says thin.
Trisha says
Part of the reason I use so many pictures is because if something isnt clear, that you can easily look at a picture and see. There really is no good measurement for “thin” that makes sense for the average person making a recipe, which is why I show several images of the zucchini from all angles. Additionally, the images also clearly showed dried herbs if there was a confusion on that.
While I understand what you are saying, I do my best to add a variety of images and video (in over 200 articles) to help a reader.
It’s a hard recipe to mess up. Even if you used fresh herbs, at the very least- it would just need a little more seasoning and if your slices were slightly larger, might add a bit of cooking time, both things the average kitchen cook can do.
Barbara says
Thank you. I just used the print version of the recipe which only has one picture of the finished dish. I am annotating my printed copy to incorporate the additional information You provided as well as some of the other commenters suggestions. It was quite tasty!
Lesia says
Can I make in the morning and bake in the afternoon
Trisha says
Lesia, There really is no reason that you cannot prep ahead, but the bread crumbs are susceptible to moisture, so I would add those at the end prior to baking rather than putting in the fridge. So prep your veggies and layers but then add bread crumbs before the oven. Remember that when you put food in the fridge it gets extra cold, so you have to either bring the food back up close to room temp (put on counter) or account for extra baking time.
Laurie says
I would love to try and did not see where any one else posted this, but it seems it would get watery as these vegetables cook? I have baked zucchini and tomatoes before and it gets quite sloppy! Any tips ( other than the instructions) on making sure it turns out like your picture?
Trisha says
You do have to let it set (which I mentioned a few times in article) to help it “firm” up – I haven’t had anyone come by and say differently adn I get at on of feedback on Pinterest for this recipe in comments there. Here if you want to check other peoples photos on the pins. I cant find all the pins but here are a few that I found that have other peoples photos.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/6403624459853932/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2462974785873339/
Laurie says
Oh okay. Yes I see “let it sit for 5 min”, as I did read through all Instructions. That was why I asked about any tips Other than what is mentioned. Like salting zucchini to sweat out or squeeze tomatoes a bit to drain. But I guess if you say nothing else is necessary, I am glad to assume it does not get watery without having to do all those extra steps. Yay! Can’t wait to post my own pic!
Trisha says
Laurie, I do not do anything extra with my recipes like that. We are “at home” cooks and work on recipes for the average family that taste good and are easy to follow. I havent had any complaints that the dish is extra watery or anything that would cause for concern that I would need to go back and adjust the instructions. Of course recipes are also a personal taste as well – what you might find juicy, I might find delicious – so if you have a cooking technique (like you mentioned squeezing tomatoes) that gives you results that you typically enjoy in your sides, I fully encourage you to get creative and use your personal likes to create something you will love. I find the recipe is fine as is, but always hope you find inspiration and changes to suite your own taste buds too. 🙂
Trisha
Teri says
Delicious and easy! I loved this recipe and my non-vegetable loving husband liked it. That’s a huge win!
Lindsay says
This is probably one of the easiest and quickest meals for me to make when I have no time. Very tasty!
Kat says
I made this for lunch yesterday and halved the recipe having just 2 layers. It was so simple and soooo good! I always have these vegetables on hand and I always have homemade bread crumbs on hand. A keeper I will be eating regularly Yum Yum. The preparation was the quickest the cooking of 45 min was the longest factor which is not a problem with me.
I ate half for lunch and finished the other half for breakfast 🥣
Thanks again
Kat
Kathy says
Forgot to add , I used a 9×5 glass casserole dish to cook halved
Trisha says
Kat, thank you for sharing! I find that prep is always the longest part of most recipes over the cooking but good prep makes for delicious food. So glad you were able to enjoy this zucchini tomato casserole twice, yum.
Much love,
trisha