This Zucchini Tomato Casserole is a favorite recipe of ours. It’s a fast and easy side dish for any meal. It’s perfect for summertime when your garden is overflowing with zucchini and tomatoes or for when you become the victim of a gardener who continues to give you their extra zucchini. We love to make this recipe using leftover rice which saves time and saves money!
Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Rice Casserole
- Ingredients for this recipe are inexpensive and easy to find
- This side dish is full of veggies!
- You can prepare ingredients ahead of time.
- Creamy cheese makes it a favorite for even picky eaters
- It’s a great recipe to use up leftover rice.
- This recipe is versatile, you can even make it a main dish if you add some protein.
To make this recipe even easier for those extra busy summer nights, I always keep a few bags of cooked rice in the freezer for recipes like this. Canned tomatoes also work in place of fresh tomatoes to help you skip the chopping! If you use these shortcuts you can pull this recipe together in about 10 minutes and have it in the oven while you grill up some chicken or make burgers.
The whole family really enjoys this recipe and I’ve been asked for it several times, which is why it made the cut to be featured on the site. I hope you find this recipe delicious and try it out soon! I love how versatile the recipe is. You can get creative and add in other ingredients to change the recipe or even make this side dish into a complete dinner for your family.
This Zucchini and Tomato Casserole Makes a Great Side Dish
Zucchinis are a super inexpensive and nutrient-rich vegetable that makes them the perfect addition to your meal plans! This recipe is great for a barbecue and goes perfectly with grilled chicken, beef roast, pulled pork sandwiches, and burgers. I love that I can make it the night before and just warm it up before dinner. It mixes both your veggies and carbohydrates so it makes the perfect side dish.
Ingredients to make Zucchini Tomato Casserole
- ⅓ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 TBS vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds of zucchini cubed or shredded – I’ve used a mix of shredded & cubed and it came out great!
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1 – 2 cloves of garlic minced (depending on your love of garlic!)
- ½ tsp fresh or dried basil
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp fresh or dried oregano
- 1½ cups seeded chopped tomatoes or one can diced tomatoes – drained well
- 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese divided
How to make this Zucchini Tomato and Rice Casserole
Step 1:
- Prepare the rice on the stovetop or use around 1 cup of cooked rice.
- Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Set aside.
Step 2
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a shallow 1½ quart casserole dish.
- While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic for 5 minutes, or until tender.
Step 3
- Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano.
Step 4
- Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Step 5
- Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
Step 7
Top with remaining cheese. (You can skip this step if you want to cut back on some of the cheese)
Step 6
- Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
What to Add to This Zucchini Tomato Casserole
- Smoked Sausage or Kielbasa
- Cooked Chicken
- Cooked Shrimp or Salmon
- Fresh mushrooms
- Sauteed red peppers
- Double the rice to bulk up this recipe
If you are looking for an easy way to make this side dish a complete meal simply add in some sliced-up smoked sausage or other cooked meat before you bake and voila! I love finding a versatile recipe that we can make many different ways!
Zucchini and Tomato Casserole Recipe
Zucchini Tomato Casserole with Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup uncooked long grain white rice
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 TBS vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds zucchini cubed or shredded – I’ve used a mix of shredded & cubed and it came out great!
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1 – 2 cloves of garlic minced (depending on your love of garlic!)
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1½ cups seeded chopped tomatoes or one can diced tomatoes – drained
- 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Prepare the rice on the stovetop.
- Placing the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a shallow 1½ quart casserole dish.
- While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender.
- Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano.
- Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese.
- Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Notes
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Sausage Lentil Skillet Meal
- Tomato Pie This is another delicious summer side dish!
- Eggroll in a Bowl – one pan low carb dinner even the kids love!
Ela
Can the ads be taken off from the printing page? It prints with ads on….😞
Thank you for the recipe. It looks yummy. Can’t wait to make it…
Donna
Thanks so much for your message. I was able to contact my ad network and remove those ads. I had no idea they were on the printable recipes, that did not look nice at all. It should be fixed now, Thanks again!
Adele
Can this be made a day ahead and reheated?
Donna
Yes you can! It makes great leftovers!
Darlene
Made this tonight and added sautéed spinach. Quick and delicious. So glad your recipe came up on my search. Thank you.
Darcey Lemay
Can the
Is be frozen prior to baking or does bit need to be baked first?
Donna
You can freeze the casserole after cooking the vegetables and assembling the casserole, before putting it in the oven to bake. Let it cool, cover it with plastic and foil and freeze. Let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before removing plastic and baking.
M
Would this still work without the cheese?
Donna
Thanks for the question about the zucchini casserole. I think you could try it without the cheese but it does kind of hold the casserole together. You’ll still have a nice flavor!