Is it me, or are casseroles not a photogenic food? Please bear with me as I was making this later and the day and I was chasing light like no ones business. BUT this is too good of a recipe not to share.

This is a recipe of my grandmother’s and I remember the first time I had it and thinking…. where has this been all my life. Like I had said in a previous post, I am a comfort food cook. I absolutely love it, and casseroles are where it’s at. Before we know it, Fall will be here and the summer produce will be slowly coming to an end here in Michigan. But that’s ok!! Join me in making casseroles in the late summer with summer produce.

Michigan Ingredients: Zucchini and farm fresh eggs

Look at that monster of a Zucchini. When it comes to that size of Zucchini (large), I usually use it more for baking as opposed to cooking because sometimes when a Zucchini gets too big, it can become bitter. If you carve out the seedy section of the Zucchini (the middle), the bitterness goes away. SOOOOOO……

Note that I was looking at the Zucchini after I took the above picture and realized that it just seemed like it would be bitter. So imagine that I took the “after”photo of the rounds with a hole in the middle.

Chop your onion while your beef is browning. Set them aside for after you drain (and rinse) your browned beef. Saute your onions until translucent and add your beef back into the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now of course, you will want to have rice that is already cooked. I usually cook the rice earlier in the day because juggling cooking the rice, chopping veggies, steaming veggies, browning meat can become a bit much.  So word of advice, cook your rice earlier in the day.

Funny story… I was going to try and make this “quick” meal (and it’s fairly quick);  however, when you look in the cupboard and do not have cream of chicken soup like you thought (and you have lots of cream of celery soup for the other version of Zucchini casserole)… you improvise and make cream of chicken soup from scratch. Most households (or maybe just mine because I am a prepper a good pantry stocker) have the items necessary to make cream of chicken soup from scratch.  Milk, flour, chicken broth, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.  I did not take the photos for this portion because I was panicking quickly thinking on my feet as to what to do about a missing ingredient. Thank goodness for Google.

Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and add your Zucchini. Steam/boil the Zucchini for 5-7 minutes and drain. Note that the middles are missing….   I did chop the Zucchini into smaller pieces because the rings are HUGE and should be more “bite” size.

Combine beef/onion mixture, rice, cream of chicken soup, eggs, zucchini, and sour cream. (Yes… I snuck that in there. As I stated earlier, I was doing this as a rush because it was last minute and wanted you lovely people to have this AMAZING recipe. You’re welcome). Pour contents into a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Top the casserole with cheese. I would recommend using either sharp or extra sharp cheese. I know, I know, this recipe keeps getting better.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

There you have it! A casserole that is healthy and satisfying. Serve this amazing dish with muffins or Zucchini bread.

Zucchini Casserole with Beef

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Casserole

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

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A delicious and healthy casserole that has all the goodness of summer; yet will help you transition to fall.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of Zucchini
• 1 Medium Onion diced
• 1 pound of Ground Beef
• 2 Eggs
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup*
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 2 cups cooked Rice**
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (Sharp or Extra Sharp)
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Chop your zucchini into rounds (about ¼ inch thickness). Dice your onion, set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook Zucchini for 5 minutes and drain. Set aside.
3. Brown your ground beef, drain and rinse the fat. Saute your onion until onion is translucent and add your beef back to the pan. Salt and pepper beef and onion mixture.
4. Combine your cooked rice, cream of chicken soup, beef and onion, eggs, and zucchini in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
5. Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray). Top with 1 cup of cheese.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minute until cheese melts and mixture starts to bubble around the edges.

Notes

*Make your rice ahead of time to assist in making this a quicker meal. Usually it is ¾ of a cup of Brown Rice and 1½ cups of water.
** Recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup I used

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