Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole Recipe
This is a warm, hearty Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole made with lean beef, veggies, tomatoes, ricotta, and melty mozzarella. Easy, comforting, and perfect for busy family dinners.
Servings 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¾ cup Carrots, diced
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
- ½ Onion, diced
- 15 ounces Diced Tomatoes, canned
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Zucchini, medium, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 8 ounces Ricotta Cheese, whole or part-skim about 1 cup
- 8 ounces Shredded Mozzarella Cheese about 1 cup
- ¼ cup Italian Parsley, chopped
Instructions
Prep-Ahead Steps
- Dice the carrots, dice the onions, mince the garlic, slice the zucchini, chop the parsley.
- Preheat a large (10-12 inch) skillet or saute pan. Add 2 teaspoon Olive Oil and the carrots. Stir to coat in oil and then spread out into an even layer, cooking for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the onions and beef. Mix everything and cook the beef until it is all browned or cooked through (no longer pink). Add the garlic and canned diced tomatoes plus any juices and scrape up the beef bits on the bottom of the pan.
Baking Steps
- Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
- Transfer the Ground Beef mixture to the casserole dish and add the salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, half of the parsley, Ricotta Cheese, and half of the shredded cheese. Mix to combine.
- Last, gently fold in the zucchini slices so that they are mixed with the beef sauce and evenly distributed throughout the casserole. Cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and bake for 10 Minutes. REMOVE the cover, and bake for another 20 minutes. (total baking time 30 minutes)
- Remove the casserole from the oven, sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake under the broiler for 1-2 minutes (or oven for 5-8 minutes) until the cheese is melted and golden brown on top (watch it so it doesn't burn).
- Garnish with the remaining parsley, serve and enjoy!
