Happy Meatless Monday.
Now through October, zucchini is in season in Utah. But, you probably already know this if you have a garden. You are probably overflowing with zucchini right about now. And if you don’t have a garden, your gardener friends are starting to hand out their zucchini surplus to anyone willing to take it. Without a green thumb of my own, I’m happy to be on the receiving end of that story. With a kitchen full of free zucchinis, I’m left trying to think of new recipes for this delicious vegetable. There are so many tasty ways to prepare zucchini: breads, cakes, fritters, grilled, sautéed. I wanted to find a way to eat zucchini as a complete meal, so I created this casserole. The combination of zucchini with brown rice and pine nuts makes this filling enough to be a meal, especially served alongside a simple green salad. Feel free to swap out brown rice for quinoa, either would work well in the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup almond milk (plain, unsweetened)
- Breadcrumbs
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Cook the brown rice according to package directions.
- While the rice cooks, chop the zucchini in small cubes and add to a large bowl.
- Next add the following ingredients to join the zucchini: vegan cheddar, olive oil, flour, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and almond milk. Mix well to combine and coat the zucchini.
- When the rice is done, add to the bowl and mix well to combine.
- Spray a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray, then pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, vegan parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Top with pine nuts.
This recipe would work well with leftover rice and quinoa rather than making a fresh batch. This could also be made gluten-free, with gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs. Another tip, make sure you use unsweetened and non-flavored almond milk. It’s very easy to grab the vanilla by accident, and the result is unfavorable (speaking from experience here). Finally, I found this casserole pairs quite well with white wine and hot sauce.
Now grab those giant zucchinis at the Park City Farmer’s market, or go raid your friend’s gardens, and enjoy.
