Zucchini Casserole

      For those of you who are being overrun by zucchini and tomatoes from your garden, bookmark this page and save it in your recipe file.  We can thank Marcie Horner from the Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN for this lovely Zucchini Casserole.  What more can you say about a casserole of buttery croutons, melted Swiss cheese, sweet tomatoes and tender zucchini?  This is a dynamite combination.  The top layer of croutons are cheesy and crunchy and the vegetables bake into a soft layer of herbs and butter.  It's so rich and good I ended up eating a whole bowl for dinner.  Saute the onions, garlic and zucchini over a full compliment of coals for at least ten minutes.  You need to soften the onion and get a good start on cooking the zucchini.  I covered my 10 inch oven with 18 coals on the lid to help speed up the process.  Stir in two thirds of a bag of croutons with one cup of cheese, the basil and seasoning.  Next, sprinkle on the layer of tomatoes and finish with more croutons and grated Swiss.  Move the coals to outside rings around the base and lid of your oven.  You need to heat the casserole all the way through without burning the croutons.  Also, you can change up the flavor by using different kinds of croutons.  Serve this scrumptious casserole with something from the grill and you will have the perfect summer meal.

Zucchini Casserole
4 medium zucchini, slice 1/4 inch thick
One large sweet onion, chopped
One garlic clove, minced
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 5 oz. box or bag of seasoned salad croutons
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded and divided
1 tsp basil
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
6 Tblsp butter

     Lightly oil or spray a 10 inch dutch oven.
     Melt butter over a full spread of coals and stir in onion, garlic and zucchini.  Cover and cook until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
     Stir in two thirds of the bag of croutons, one cup of cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.
     Arrange diced tomatoes on top of zucchini and croutons.
     Add remaining croutons and sprinkle with remaining cup of Swiss cheese.
     Move coals to outside of lid and bottom of oven.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is cooked all the way through.  Serves 4-6 as a side dish.


Cook, garlic, onion and zucchini over high heat until soft, about 10 minutes

Stir in cheese, croutons, basil and seasoning

Add diced tomatoes

Top with remaining croutons and cheese

Heat for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted

I could eat this every day