Zucchini and Cream Cheese Casserole
Zucchini and Cream Cheese Casserole is an old recipe that remains one of our favorites. Zucchini is mixed with garlic, cream cheese, and butter and topped with crumbs and baked. Old fashioned but so good too!
I’ve always grown my own zucchini for as long as I can remember but in the past couple of years I’ve cut way back on a big garden with veggies and now concentrate on growing a wide variety of herbs and tomatoes in pots. But I need zucchini; this Zucchini and Cream Cheese Casserole is a family favorite we have to have every summer.
Luckily everyone who does plant zucchini has far too many and I always luck out with plenty from neighbors. I had already received two monster zucchini from another friend. Those I like to shred and freeze in two cup portions to use for zucchini bread in the winter.
But for my most recent gift from friends I needed to reach no further than this tried and true recipe we have loved forever. Having a zucchini glut of your own? Try this easy side dish…perfect for a picnic too; it will be devoured, I promise.
This recipe is an real oldie but goodie. It comes from a cookbook I love called ‘The Artist in the Kitchen’ from the St. Louis Art Museum and it was a fundraising cookbook published in 1977. I love old cookbooks but they would never pass muster today.
No big huge glamour shots of every dish grace the pages; your imagination has to come into play. Still, I love everything I’ve made from this book and this recipe is an all time favorite. I had forgotten that I had already shared it on my blog…but that was years ago and we won’t even talk about the photo; it would have been better to have been like this cookbook and not had one!
The truth is that it’s sort of a plain Jane. There aren’t a lot of ingredients and it’s simple to put together; is it even worthy of sharing? Oh yeah…it’s that simplicity that helps to make it great; heck the topping of crumbs doesn’t even have any extra butter to bind them but you won’t mind.
There is something magical about a sauce of butter, cream cheese and garlic that fits so perfectly with what is really a pretty bland little veggie; the crumb topping is a nice added texture. I had to stop testing it after eating half the dish (kidding) (no I’m not).
It can be hard to photograph a casserole dish. As much as I love this simple dish, it’s not particularly beautiful. So I did throw some fresh from my garden tomatoes into the photo for a bit of color. I am not regretting planting those Early Girl tomatoes one bit even if they did get a late start.
I’ve planted nothing but cherry tomatoes since I started gardening in pots and this year thought I would try one more variety and I love the results; even with a late start they have been worth the wait. I must have picked a dozen last night…poor me I have to eat some with every meal. 🙂
Have a safe and fun filled Labor Day; I’ll be sitting here eating zucchini casserole, fresh corn, fresh tomatoes and fresh peaches and sobbing that summer is almost over. I won’t miss the heat but I sure will miss fresh fruits and veggies. Now I’m wishing I had planted some zucchini; I want more!
This is the last post of our #SummerSoiree series for the Food Network featuring dishes perfect for a Labor Day get together. I’m having one; I’m actually hosting a baby shower on Sunday; we’re sort of hoping there won’t be a real labor day until after the party! Have a great weekend; enjoy some of these dishes from my friends!
- Bacon and Souffle: Roasted Shrimp Orzo
- The Hungry Traveler: Ginger Vanilla Fruit Salad
- Homemade Delish: Festive Champagne Punch
- Dishin & Dishes: Savory Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Mozzarella Tart
- TasteBook: Apple-Pecan Chicken Salad
- Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Batter Fried Pepper with Tzatziki Sauce
- Healthy Eats: 6 Fall-Forward Recipes for Your Labor Day Celebration
- Domesticate Me: Lobster Avocado Toast
- Taste with the Eyes: “Margarita” Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles
- Napa Farmhouse 1885: Grilled Shrimp & Peaches with Arugula Pesto
- Red or Green: Spicy Greek Chickpea Spread
- The Heritage Cook: Smoked Chicken Salad (Gluten-Free)
- The Mom 100: Yogurt Berry Pops
- FN Dish: The Last Hurrah: Grill Absolutely Everything on Labor Day
PIN IT! ‘Zucchini and Cream Cheese Casserole’
Zucchini and Cream Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 6-8 small zucchini
- 1 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
- 3 Tbsp butter
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Butter Crackers
Instructions
- Cut unpeeled zucchini into thin slices and microwave until just tender and still crunchy; 3-4 minutes.
- Drain thoroughly
- Melt cheese and butter and mix with garlic powder and zucchini; season with salt and pepper.
- Put in a baking dish and crumble crackers on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
I think you could do that Maggie but I can’t guarantee the success since I’ve never done it before. That fact the zucchini has been cooked should help, if raw and trying to freeze before baking I would say no.
Cheese and Zucchini? That’s a great combination! I could make this tonight as a light snack. Thanks for sharing!!
I remember that cookbook! My mother also gave me an apron as a gift that had the Artist in the Kitchen logo on it. Anyway, really good recipe. Still loads of great zucchini out there, so this is really timely. Thanks.
Really? It’s got the BEST lemom bars recipe I’ve ever had too! I actually own the domain name artistinthekitchen.com – not sure why but once I saw the book was no longer in print and the folks at the museum don’t even know what it is I couldn’t help myself. 🙂
I’m making this tonight. 🙂 It sounds so good and looks so simple to make.
Hope you love it like I do. I think I could sit and eat nothing but this old fashioned and delicious dish for dinner.
ooh! cheesy!!! and it’s almost healthy because of all the zucchini in it 😉
That is exactly what I tell myself each and every time I devour it.
This sounds delish! I am making it tonight for supper. I added a teaspoon of dried onion flakes and about a half teaspoon of basil. It smells good baking…I can’t wait! Thanks for the idea.
I hope you loved it Becky. I could sit and eat an entire casserole dish of this zucchini…who needs meat! Your additions sound yummy!
Delicious!
Thank heaven for blog archives… I’m hitting the squash jackpot every week with my CSA share and need some new options. Looks delish!
Sounds yummy. Can I use it in my blog Sunday???
Certainly Betty; enjoy.
This “oldie but goodie” looks like a fabulous goodie. Another bookmarked.
There isn’t anything wrong with that at all!!!
If I were to pair it I might go for a crisp dry Chardonnay or White Bordeaux.
Might have to try that…
So funny…or maybe not; kind of what I had for dinner the other night. Too tired or too lazy to make anything else, just a serving of this dish and a glass of Chardonnay!
OH! That sounds so great! It looks to die for! Thanks so much!
This looks delicious – just the way I like to eat zucchini! I think my mom makes a version of this for Thanksgiving, and it’s one of my favorites!
What a fabulous dish Barb and so easy too. So rich!!
Oh I bet that is some yummy bubbly goodness!! I can’t wait to give it a try the next time I find that forgotten zucchini in the fridge 🙂
I bet I could actually get Jeff to eat zucchini if I served it like this. Looks amazing – yet oh yea exceptionally decadent.
Thanks Heather…it is so good. Combined with simple too…so in my mind an almost perfect zucchini dish!
Oh my goodness… this looks terribly decadent. A scoop of this and I’d be done for (in a very good way). 🙂