Quick Dinner Zucchini Casserole with Stuffing

If you ask me, zucchini casserole is comfort food at its best.

This hearty side dish takes the classic combination of tender zucchini and savory stuffing to create something that’s both familiar and special. Fresh garden zucchini meets crispy, seasoned breadcrumbs in a dish that’s sure to please everyone at the table.

It’s layered with melted cheese and herbs that remind me of my mom’s holiday cooking, but simple enough for any weeknight dinner. The soft vegetables and crunchy topping give you the perfect mix of textures in every bite.

It’s a crowd-friendly recipe that works year-round, but especially shines when summer gardens are overflowing with zucchini.

What Kind of Zucchini Should I Use?

For casseroles, medium-sized zucchini (about 6-8 inches long) are your best bet since they’re tender and have smaller seeds than their larger counterparts. If you can only find larger zucchini at the store, just make sure to remove the seedy center before chopping, as those big seeds can make your casserole watery. Fresh summer zucchini from your garden or farmer’s market will give you the best flavor, but grocery store zucchini work perfectly fine too. When picking your zucchini, look for ones that are firm to the touch with smooth, blemish-free dark green skin – and don’t worry if they have a few scratches, they’ll be chopped up anyway!

Options for Substitutions

This cozy casserole can be adapted with several easy substitutions:

• Zucchini: You can swap zucchini with yellow summer squash, or use a mix of both. You could also try using peeled and cubed eggplant, though you might want to salt it first to remove excess moisture.
• Cream of mushroom soup: Any cream soup works well here – try cream of chicken, cream of celery, or even cream of broccoli. For a homemade version, mix 1 cup milk with 3 tablespoons flour and seasonings, then cook until thick.
• Sour cream: Plain Greek yogurt makes a great substitute with added protein. You could also use plain regular yogurt, but strain it first to remove extra liquid.
• Stuffing mix: This is pretty important for the texture, but you can use any flavor of stuffing mix. In a pinch, crush seasoned croutons or make your own by toasting bread cubes with herbs.
• Butter: Olive oil works fine here, or try melted coconut oil. Just keep the amount the same to maintain the right moisture level.
• Carrots: Feel free to swap with shredded parsnips, sweet potatoes, or even butternut squash for a different twist on flavor.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest challenge when making zucchini casserole is dealing with excess moisture – to avoid a watery dish, make sure to salt your chopped zucchini and let it drain in a colander for 20-30 minutes before mixing with other ingredients.

Another common mistake is rushing the baking process – this casserole needs time to develop its flavors and achieve that perfect golden-brown top, so resist the urge to increase the temperature above 350°F just to speed things up.

For the stuffing topping, don’t skip tossing it with melted butter before adding it to the casserole, as this step ensures an evenly crispy crust rather than dry, scattered breadcrumbs.

A helpful tip is to layer your ingredients strategically – start with a layer of drained zucchini, followed by the soup mixture, and finish with the buttered stuffing on top, which prevents the stuffing from becoming soggy during baking.

What to Serve With Zucchini Casserole?

This cozy zucchini casserole works really well as a side dish, but you can also make it the star of the show! Since it’s already packed with veggies and has a rich, creamy sauce, I like to pair it with simple proteins like grilled chicken breast, baked salmon, or even sliced turkey. For a vegetarian meal, try serving it alongside a fresh green salad with cherry tomatoes and a light vinaigrette dressing. You can also round out the meal with some crusty French bread to soak up all that yummy sauce – trust me, you won’t want to leave any behind!

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: Once your zucchini casserole has cooled down, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Pop it in the fridge and it’ll stay good for up to 4 days. The stuffing might soften a bit over time, but it’ll still taste great!

Freeze: This casserole is perfect for freezing! Let it cool completely, then wrap it well in foil or transfer to a freezer-safe container. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just keep in mind that the zucchini might release a bit more water when thawed.

Reheat: To warm up your casserole, pop it in the oven at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes until heated through. If reheating from frozen, let it thaw overnight in the fridge first. For extra crispiness on top, uncover the dish for the last 5 minutes of reheating.

Make Ahead: You can prep this casserole a day ahead! Just assemble everything but hold off on adding the stuffing topping. Store covered in the fridge, then add the stuffing and bake when you’re ready to serve. This makes dinner prep super easy!

Preparation Time	10-15 minutes
Cooking Time	25-30 minutes
Total Time	35-45 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2200-2400
• Protein: 30-40 g
• Fat: 160-170 g
• Carbohydrates: 180-200 g

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 6 cups chopped zucchini (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup melted butter (cooled slightly before adding)
• 1 package dry bread stuffing mix (I prefer Pepperidge Farm)
• 1 cup sour cream (room temperature for better mixing)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/4-inch pieces)
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I use Libby’s)

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Mise en Place

• 6 cups zucchini, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 cup sour cream

Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with butter or cooking spray.

While the oven heats, chop your zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces, dice your onion into 1/4-inch pieces, and measure out your sour cream—I always let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before using it, as it mixes much more smoothly into the other ingredients without lumps.

Step 2: Blanch and Drain the Zucchini

• 6 cups chopped zucchini from Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the chopped zucchini.

Cook for exactly 5 minutes—this softens the zucchini slightly and removes excess moisture, which prevents the casserole from becoming watery during baking.

Drain thoroughly in a colander, pressing gently with a spoon to remove as much water as possible.

Step 3: Make the Stuffing-Butter Mixture

• 1 package dry bread stuffing mix
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Pour the dry bread stuffing mix into a large bowl and add the melted butter (cooled slightly so it doesn’t cook the stuffing).

Toss together with a fork until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the stuffing—the mixture should feel slightly moist but not clumpy.

Set aside.

Step 4: Build the Vegetable Filling

• blanched zucchini from Step 2
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• sour cream and diced onion from Step 1
• 1 cup shredded carrots

In another large bowl, combine the drained zucchini from Step 2, condensed cream of mushroom soup, room-temperature sour cream, shredded carrots, and diced onion from Step 1.

Stir gently until everything is evenly mixed—I like to use a rubber spatula to fold everything together rather than stir aggressively, which helps keep the zucchini pieces intact.

Step 5: Layer and Assemble the Casserole

• stuffing-butter mixture from Step 3
• vegetable filling from Step 4

Spread half of the stuffing-butter mixture from Step 3 evenly across the bottom of your prepared casserole dish.

Pour the vegetable filling from Step 4 over the stuffing layer, spreading it in an even layer.

Top with the remaining stuffing-butter mixture, distributing it so the filling is completely covered—this helps create a golden, crispy top.

Step 6: Bake Until Golden and Serve

• assembled casserole from Step 5

Place the casserole in your preheated 350°F oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling slightly around the edges.

Remove from the oven and let it rest for 2-3 minutes before serving—this allows the filling to set slightly and makes serving cleaner.