Simple, inexpensive and tasty, this Hamburger Zucchini Bake is my new favorite way to eat zucchini! The tomatoes are so pretty and give it a nice pop of flavor.
There are affiliate links in this post – please read my full disclosure policy.
My go-to recipe when I have zucchini is my Crustless Zucchini Quiche. It’s super simple, inexpensive and filling, which makes it a winner for obvious reasons. But this year, since we’ve been blessed with super generous friends who’ve given us lots of zucchini, we were getting a little tired of that same dish over and over. I tried to compensate with a few zucchini desserts, but you can only eat so much sweet stuff. Well, at least if you don’t want to get mad at yourself when you step on the scales.
The last several times that I made my Crustless Zucchini Quiche, I kept imagining a version that included some meat and a hint of juicy tomatoes. I finally decided to play around a bit and see if I could come up with something. After a couple of attempts, I felt like I finally had it perfected, and we all thought that it was quite tasty!
Looking for a great place to get quality ground beef? Check out Savory Butcher! They are a growing company and aren’t available in all areas, but are slowing expanding their market! They regularly have ground beef for $2.99/lb. And they also have boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.99/lb. too!
Hamburger Zucchini Bake
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ lb. ground beef
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 c. Bisquick (I use my homemade version!)
- ½ c. shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 eggs
- ¼ c. canola oil
- 1 tsp. parsley
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. basil
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 3 ½ c. shredded zucchini, drained*
- tomatoes, sliced thin
– (This knife is my absolute favorite for slicing tomatoes! It’s also perfect for onions and other veggies.)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Brown ground beef and onion.
2. Mix all ingredients except zucchini and tomatoes in a bowl.
3. Stir in zucchini and pour into a greased 2 ½ to 3 quart baking dish.
4. Top with tomatoes.
5. Bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set and top is lightly browned. **
NOTES:
* Make sure zucchini is drained well. Either put it in a colander or sieve and then squish out as much excess moisture as possible. If you don’t do this, your casserole will not set up!
** How you long you need to bake this depends on how deep your baking dish is. My dish is fairly small and makes a thick casserole, so I need to bake it at least 50 minutes. However if your dish is more shallow, you will need to reduce the baking time.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
August 17, 2015 at 10:22 PMI agree, I love zucchini dessert, but I can take only so much sweets. This is a great way to use zucchini. It is so filling and delicious! The sliced tomatoes on top adds such a nice pop of color.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 19, 2015 at 9:20 AMWe love the extra flavor the tomatoes give! And of course it makes it pretty too. What’s not to love? 🙂
Rachel @ Engineering A Joyful Family says
August 18, 2015 at 6:53 AMWOW this looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
If you’re looking into more recipes, you may want to check out the “vegetti” in the as-seen-on-tv section. It allows you to turn zucchini into noodles to substitute for typical noodles.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 19, 2015 at 9:03 AMHope you enjoy it, Rachel! I loved that it was inexpensive and yet filling and tasty. I never heard of that vegetti thing. I’d be tempted to try it, although I’m suspicious my 7 and 3 year olds would be skeptical!
Kristin Johnson says
August 9, 2018 at 11:35 AMdo not be a skeptic… I made zucchini lasagna (I didn’t even have the tool,had to do on my own) and the zucchini cooked up just like noodles to substitute for pasta and it was super delish!!!! Healthier too!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 14, 2018 at 12:19 PMThat’s good to know, Kristin! I love when I can find ways to make recipes healthier, so I really should just try it!
Bethany says
August 26, 2015 at 7:30 AMOoo, this looks really different!! Thanks for the great idea!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 26, 2015 at 12:51 PMYes, I kind of broke the “quiche is a breakfast food” rule, didn’t I? 🙂
Susan Shipe says
August 26, 2015 at 9:45 AMThis sounds great – I have 5 zucchinis on my porch just waiting to be eaten! Thanks! Visiting from WWI, I am #17! Now, I’m going to roam around on your site. We eat G-free so looking for more ideas!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 26, 2015 at 12:50 PMAwesome! Now you have at least one way to use up some of them. 🙂 And if you are gluten free, you may be interested in knowing that my Homemade Bisquick can be made gluten free too! (There’s a note at the bottom of that recipe with details.)
Sonja says
November 10, 2017 at 10:52 AMI have made this twice now and everyone including my teenager and 3-year old grandson loves it. I don’t know if it is me or my oven but I use a 2 1/2 quart baking dish and it has to bake almost twice as long as your recipe states before the center is set. It is so delicious and I wanted to thank you for sharing!!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
November 12, 2017 at 10:16 PMIt always feels good when you find a recipe that everyone loves! No small feat! 🙂 And I’m wondering too what makes yours take longer to set. I wonder if your zucchini isn’t drained as much as mine and so it’s juicier? That’s the only thing I can think of. But I’m glad that you noted that here so that other readers can make note in case they have the same issue. I haven’t made this in a while and now I kind of want to go get some zucchini to give it a try again to make sure I didn’t goof when I wrote up the recipe!