Cheesy zucchini bake with cream crackers

One of my favourite ways to serve zucchini is this recipe for cheesy zucchini bake with cream crackers. The cream crackers mixed into the dish soak up the cooking juices from the zucchini and act as a thickener. The addition of fried onions provides a delicious savoury element. The mixture is covered with a beaten egg, milk and cheese mixture before being baked.

The crunchy topping is made by mixing grated cheese with crushed cream crackers and sprinkling it on top just before baking.

I love this dish because you can enjoy both hot and cold. Served hot it makes the perfect side vegetable to accompany your roasts. It tastes good just served plain, but zucchini and tomatoes go so well together that I sometimes cover it with leftover marinara sauce.

Alternatively, if you allow the dish to cool, it will firm up so that you can cut it into slices and serve like a quiche. I often made this dish and take it along to a picnic or barbeque, and it was always one of the first things to get devoured.

This cheesy zucchini bake is such a simple dish to make, you only need 6 main ingredients and a few minutes of mixing time, and it’s into the oven to bake. You can even pop it in the oven alongside your roast, so you save on electricity too!

Overhead view of a slice of zucchini bake on a plate next to serving dish. — You can serve this cold zucchini bake like a quiche.

What is a zucchini?

Did you know that a zucchini is actually a fruit and not a vegetable? Fruits have their seeds on the inside (think apples, pears, oranges etc) whereas vegetables don’t (potatoes, cabbages, carrots). There’s been an age-old debate about this, around tomatoes. Yes, they are a fruit as well! However, that said, zucchini are normally served as vegetables, so I guess there’s always the exception that proves the rule!

Depending on where in the world you live, you may know zucchini by other names. In the UK, we call them courgettes and in South African they are known as baby marrows. They are normally harvested while they are still quite small, and once they grow to maturity they are known collectively as marrows.

Zucchini has a mild, slightly sweet flavour, and can tend to be a bit watery, especially if the marrows are on the larger size. For this reason, I tend not to serve plain boiled or steamed zucchini as a vegetable. One of the ways I’ve been serving it for years is sauteed with tomatoes and onions, or you can just slice the zucchini and saute it with garlic in butter or olive oil until just softened.

A slice of cheesy zucchini bake on a plate with a fork.

Ingredients

**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions to make this cheesy zucchini bake from the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**

This recipe is sufficient to fill 2 x 4″ by 6″ baking dishes, or one larger 8″ x 8″ dish.

Ingredients for cheesy zucchini bake. — You will only need 6 main ingredients.

Cream crackers – I used half of a 300g (10.5 oz) packet. The cream crackers should be finely crushed by placing them in a plastic bag and hitting with a rolling pin, or you can whizz them around in a food processor.

Zucchini (courgettes / baby marrows) – these should be grated on the large holes of a box grater (cheese grater).

Eggs – I used 2 large eggs. If your eggs are on the smaller side you could use 3.

Milk – either full-fat or semi-skimmed. If you prefer a creamier taste you could substitute half of the milk for single cream.

Onion – finely sliced and should be fried before adding to the mixture. Don’t add raw onion – it won’t soften sufficiently in the cooking time.

Cheese – you can use your favourite grated cheese. I like to use a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella, but any grated cheese that melts easily will be fine.

You will also need a tablespoon of sunflower or olive oil for frying the onions, and salt and pepper for seasoning..

How to make it

With just a few simple steps you can be tucking into this delicious cheesy zucchini bake tonight.

Steps for mixing the ingredients. — Use a rolling pin to crush the cream crackers before mixing the crumbs with the other ingredients.

Start off by placing the cream crackers in a large plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin (1). If you have a food processor you can just whizz them around in the processor fitted with the metal blade, but this means extra washing up, so I just use the plastic bag/rolling pin method!
Mix the grated cheese with the crushed cream crackers.
Whisk the eggs and milk together with salt and pepper to taste. I generally add 1 teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, but it is all down to your own taste.
Grate the zucchini on the largest holes of a box grater/cheese grater, and place them into a mixing bowl.
Peel the onion and slice it finely, then fry it in a tablespoon of olive oil or vegetable oil until it has softened and started to brown (3). Take your time over this step, don’t allow the onion to burn or you will get a bitter taste in your zucchini bake.

Top tip – I normally turn the heat under the onions down as low as it will go, cover the onions with a lid and leave them to sweat slowly for about 10 minutes, checking them occasionally.

Let the onions cool for a minute or two, then add them to the grated zucchini, along with the beaten egg and milk (4). Tip in three-quarters of the cheese/cracker mixture, reserving the remainder for on top.
Mix thoroughly to combine.

Bake

This mixture is sufficient for one 8″ x 8″ baking dish, or 2 – 4″ x 6″ dishes. Because there are only two of us at home, I like to make it in two small dishes and freeze one for later.
Tip the mixture into your baking dish(es).
Sprinkle with the remainder of the cracker crumb/cheese mixture. You may like to add a little additional grated cheese. Also, you may like to remove any of the larger cracker crumbs before baking, although they do give a satisfying crunch to the finished dish.
Bake in a pre-heated oven (180C/360F) for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Serve immediately as a side dish with your roast, or leave to cool and cut into slices and serve as a light lunch or mid-day snack.

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Frequently asked questions

Does this dish freeze well?

Yes, you can freeze this cheesy zucchini dish either baked or unbaked.
If you freeze it after baking you can just defrost it in the refrigerator and then reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes until piping hot. You could also reheat it in the microwave at 30-second blasts on full power until heated through.
If you freeze it unbaked, you can cook it from frozen in a hot oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

How do I store leftovers?

If you have any leftover zucchini bake, you can cover it with tinfoil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Do I have to peel zucchini before cooking?

No, zucchini does not need to be peeled. The skin is tender and has a lot of flavour. Just give them a quick rinse under cold water before cooking.

Should I remove the seeds?

Once again, the answer is no. The seeds of these young marrows are soft and edible.
However, if you are using zucchini that have been allowed to grow to a diameter of 3 inches or more you may like to remove the seeds as they tend to become bitter in larger marrows.

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The recipe

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Cheesy zucchini bake with cream crackers