Zucchini Casserole with Marinara & Beef is layers of zucchini, tomato marinara, beef & cheese, topped with a crunchy gluten free “breading” and parmesan.

When most people think of Italian night, they think of pasta, but for me, I just want a delicious sauce, loaded with cheese. This casserole replaces pasta with zucchini and it will be a welcome and delicious addition to your next “pasta” night.

How To Make Zucchini Casserole

This recipe takes a little bit of preparation, but it is well worth the effort!

• To start, saute your diced zucchini (I used 6 medium sized zucchinis and when diced it equaled about 6 cups) in olive oil, over medium heat, in a large stovetop pan. Saute until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.

• While zucchini is cooking, in a separate pan, brown ground beef or turkey, whichever you prefer. Once meat is browned, add marinara to pan and mix together.

• Prepare casserole topping by mixing together almond flour, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl.

• Once meat is brown & zucchini is tender, you are ready to assemble your casserole.
• In a 9×13 inch baking dish, pour half the zucchini in the bottom of the dish, then add half the meat & marinara mixture.

• Top with mozzarella.

• Next add the rest of the zucchini and then the rest of the meat & marinara mixture.

• Top with the almond flour/parmesan mixture, spreading evenly over the entire casserole.

• Bake casserole at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then switch oven to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes till top is crispy and golden brown.

Serve with a salad and biscuits and you’ll have yourself the perfect comfort meal! If you have picky eaters, instead of serving them a plate of this casserole, serve it as a sauce over their favorite pasta! They’ll still be trying something new, but with the comfort of eating it in a more traditional way (this is what I did for my kids).

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Zucchini Casserole with Marinara & Beef

Zucchini Casserole with Marinara & Beef is layers of zucchini, tomato marinara, beef & cheese, topped with a crunchy gluten free "breading" and parmesan. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 6 medium zucchinis diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking zucchini
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 25 oz marinara
• 1 cup mozzarella shredded
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup parmesan shredded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

1. Saute diced zucchini in olive oil till tender, about 10 minutes. 

   Brown beef, then add in marinara and mix well. 

   Prepare topping by mixing together almond flour, parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. 

   In a 9x13 inch baking dish, pour half the zucchini in the bottom of the dish, then pour half the marinara/meat mixture on top of zucchini and top with mozzarella. 

   Add the rest of the zucchini on top of mozzarella and then the rest of the marinara/meat mixture. 

   Top casserole with almond flour/parmesan mixture.

   Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then turn oven to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes till topping gets crispy and golden brown.