Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole

Enjoy zucchini as a hearty main dish with this Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole recipe.  Loaded with browned mild sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, and lots of mashed zucchini, it's also loaded with lots of great flavor.
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Love zucchini but usually enjoy it as a side dish?  That's certainly the case with us.

We absolutely love zucchini, but must admit it rarely takes center stage in our meals.  More often than not, it's found on our table as a side dish -- generally as a quick and easy sauteed zucchini veggie side, or as our family-favorite stewed zucchini & summer squash.

But that changes with this super tasty Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole!

Loaded with browned mild sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, and lots of mashed zucchini, it's also loaded with lots of great flavor.  

Because with this recipe, we can enjoy zucchini as a hearty main dish.  Loaded with browned mild sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, and lots of mashed zucchini, this is one zucchini dish that's decidedly not just a side.

It comes together pretty easily, making it a wonderful main dish for enjoying all that zucchini coming out of the garden.  As a bonus -- leftovers reheat nicely, so it can be a good lunch for the next day, too.  

Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole Ingredients

There's nothing fancy here!  This cheesy zucchini casserole is made with just simple basic ingredients that, when combined, taste simply amazing together. The main ingredients are:

• Zucchini - You'll need about 3 or 4 small to medium-sized zucchini, equal to 5 cups of thickly-sliced zucchini.

• Mild pork sausage - Sausage pairs wonderfully with zucchini. Use good quality pork sausage for the most flavorful, best result. I recommend using mild sausage, and not substituting hot as the extra spice of hot sausage will overshadow zucchini's mild flavor.

There's nothing fancy here! Cheesy zucchini casserole is made with just simple basic ingredients that, when combined, taste simply amazing together.

• Cream of mushroom soup - Brings creaminess and seasoning to the casserole.

• Shredded cheddar cheese - Use medium or sharp cheddar cheese.  I prefer medium cheddar, but both give great flavor.  I highly recommend shredding your own cheese from a block rather than buying packaged pre-shredded cheese, as cheese you shred yourself gives a much more melty and creamy result.

• Saltine cracker crumbs - Cracker crumbs in the casserole filling itself absorb water from the boiled, mashed zucchini so the finished baked casserole isn't watery. Cracker crumbs on the top bring a nice little crunch to each bite.

How to Make Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole

Whipping up a pan of Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole is pretty easy.  There are a couple of steps to its prep, but none of the steps are difficult at all.

Start by preparing the zucchini.  Slice it into thick rounds -- You'll need 4 to 5 cups of sliced zucchini, which is about 3 or 4 small to medium-sized squash.

Boil the sliced zucchini until it's tender, about 6 to 8 minutes, and drain it very well.

Place the drained zucchini in a large mixing bowl.  Then use a fork to mash it, just squashing each zucchini slice up against the side of the bowl with the fork.

As you mash the zucchini, more water will be released and will collect in the bottom of the bowl.

Pour out this water before adding the remaining casserole ingredients.

You may be wondering -- Can I use frozen zucchini in this casserole?  Yes, you can. -- Just skip the step of boiling the zucchini.  Why?  Because when freezing zucchini, the zucchini is partially cooked before it's frozen -- Which should replace the boiling step in this recipe.

Simply thaw the zucchini, and you should be good to go with mashing it.

If the thawed frozen zucchini isn't tender enough to mash with a fork, heat it in the microwave or boil it for just a few minutes until it is.

While the zucchini cooks, brown the sausage in a skillet until cooked through.  Then combine the cooked sausage, mashed zucchini, and remaining casserole filling ingredients together and place the mixture in a baking dish.

Top the casserole mixture with some shredded cheese ...

And then sprinkle on a layer of buttered Saltine cracker crumbs ...

Bake the casserole up until it's bubbly around the edges, and you're good to go with serving up the deliciousness!

So with this Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole recipe, stop relegating zucchini to a side dish and serve it up as a hearty main dish.  Loaded with sausage, melty cheddar cheese, and lots of mashed zucchini, it's loaded with fabulous flavor, too.


What's to love about this Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole recipe:

• Great recipe for enjoying zucchini as a main dish
• Made with simple basic ingredients
• Easy to mix up
• Can be made with fresh or frozen zucchini

Check out these other vegetable casserole favorites:

• Mashed Summer Squash Casserole
• Favorite Summer Squash Casserole
• Creamy Broccoli Casserole
• Broccoli-Rice Casserole
• Southern Vidalia Onion Casserole
• Butternut Squash Gratin
• Baked Spaghetti Squash Gratin
• Classic Green Bean Casserole
• Corn Pudding
• Cheesy Fiesta Corn Casserole
• Corn Fritter Casserole

Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

zucchini casserole recipe, zucchini sausage casserole, recipes with zucchini, main dish recipes with zucchini

Main Dishes

American

Yield: about 8-10 servings

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

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Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole

Enjoy zucchini as a hearty main dish with this Cheesy Zucchini & Sausage Casserole recipe. Loaded with browned mild sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, and lots of mashed zucchini, it's also loaded with lots of great flavor.

Prep time: 25 MCook time: 45 MTotal time: 70 M

Ingredients:

Casserole Filling:

• 4 to 5 c. thickly-sliced zucchini (about 3-4 small to medium-sized zucchini)
• 1 lb. mild sausage
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 c.  coarsely crushed Saltine cracker crumbs
• 1 c. shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Topping:

• 1 c. coarsely crushed Saltine cracker crumbs
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Prepare Casserole Filling:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add zucchini. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 6 – 8 minutes.
2. While water comes to a boil and zucchini cooks, brown sausage with onion in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Drain.
3. Drain zucchini in a colander. Place in a large mixing bowl and coarsely mash zucchini with a fork. Pour out any water that collects in the bowl.
4. Add cooked sausage, eggs, cream of mushroom soup, Saltine cracker crumbs, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper.  Stir until well combined.
5. Place in a greased 11x7-inch baking dish.

Prepare Topping & Bake:

1. Sprinkle casserole filling evenly with shredded cheddar.
2. Combine melted butter and Saltine cracker crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
3. Bake at 350℉ for 45 minutes.

TRACEY'S NOTES:

1. You can use frozen zucchini if you'd like, just skip the step of boiling the zucchini. Why? Because zucchini is partially cooked before it's frozen -- Which should replace the boiling step in this recipe. Simply thaw the zucchini, and you should be good to go with mashing it. If the thawed frozen zucchini isn't tender enough to mash with a fork, heat it in the microwave or boil it for just a few minutes until it is.

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You might also like these other tasty zucchini & summer squash recipes recipes:

Marinated Summer Vegetable Salad

Stewed Zucchini & Summer Squash

How to Freeze Zucchini

Ma's Mashed Summer Squash Casserole

Summer Vegetable Tortellini Salad

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This post is linked with Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday.