Zucchini Casserole with Garden Tomato Sauce

Skip Breadcrumb HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenZucchini Casserole with Garden Tomato Sauce
Skill Level
Preparation Time 20 minutes Total Time 60 minutes
Servings 8 Cost Per Serving $0.94
Share this Recipe
Print
Image of zucchini lasagna

Ingredients

1Large Zucchini, cut into thin rounds (or 4 Small Zucchini, cut into thin slices lengthwise)
1 cupBreadcrumbs
1/4 cupParmesan Cheese, grated
1Egg
8 leavesFresh Basil
2 cupsFresh or Canned Tomatoes, roughly diced
1/2Medium Onion, roughly chopped
1 cloveGarlic
1 tspChili Flakes (optional)
1 tbsp + 1 tspOlive Oil
1/2 tspSea Salt
To TasteSea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes just until soft and slightly browned. Add tomatoes, basil and ½ tsp of salt, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the zucchini rounds and wait about 5 minutes for some of the water to be drawn out. Pat dry with a paper towel.
  4. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese and a pinch of fresh black pepper. Dip each slice of zucchini in the egg wash and then into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides.
  5. Place each breaded zucchini round onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the zucchini rounds with 1 tsp of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.
  6. Line the bottom of a medium baking dish with a few tablespoons of sauce. Evenly cover the bottom of the dish with zucchini slices.  Top with enough sauce to spread over all the zucchini and sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of cheese. Repeat with more zucchini and keep layering until you’ve used all the zucchini slices. Top with cheese and place in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Nutrition

  • ​Exercise doesn’t have to mean going to the gym. Anything that leaves you slightly out of breath, such as gardening or housework, also benefits your health. Even doing lighter forms of exercise regularly, such as gardening, can reduce the risk of breast cancer. The most active gardeners reduced their risk by 13%.
  • Gardening is a good form of physical activity because it is low risk and low cost. Added benefits include saving money on groceries by growing your own produce. 
  • Zucchini is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that are needed for a healthy immune system. Lutein may help protect the eyes from macular degeneration, a decline of eyesight due to aging.  To get the most antioxidants from your zucchini, eat the skin and enjoy it raw or steamed rather than boiled.