Cheesy Zucchini Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep zucchini from getting soggy in a casserole? ›

Unless you have time to salt and drain the zucchini, wait to salt it until after they're cooked so the salt doesn't draw out the moisture in the oven—this can lead to sogginess. You can add other seasonings, such as dried herbs and spices, before cooking.

Even in a blazing hot pan, the zucchini will soon start to steam in its own juices if it is not salted or shredded and squeezed. A shredding and drying technique is the best choice when you are pressed for time and want to cook zucchini indoors.

Our Tips for the Best Squash Casserole

Drain the squash: To prevent your squash casserole from being too watery, it's important to get as much liquid out of the squash during the initial cooking process as possible.

Salt and drain zucchini

Salting and draining ensures the zucchini doesn't turn into a soggy mess while frying. This method also works for roasted zucchini, grilled zucchini, or baked zucchini if you're looking to remove as much water as possible.

Vegetables with high water content tend to become mushy and bland if they aren't rid of excess moisture before cooking. To do that, you need two things: salt and time. Salting these watery vegetables draws out extra water and flavor molecules.

Zucchini is 95% water so it is important to draw out the water from the zucchini before baking or the lasagna will be a watery mess.

Squeezing is optional.

Some recipes tell you to remove extra moisture from the grated zucchini by squeezing it in a clean kitchen towel. But unless your zucchini is excessively juicy, squeezing the squash could be removing some of the moisture you really do want in the bread. It's up to you, though.

Slice and salt zucchini in advance of cooking to draw out some of the vegetable's excess moisture (while also seasoning it more thoroughly). To do this, cut up a pound of zucchini and toss it with ½ teaspoon of table salt. Let it drain in a colander for about 30 minutes before patting it dry and cooking it.

Cooking is what really makes zucchini release moisture. However, sometimes even uncooked zucchini can get a little limp after it's cut. In this case, to reduce excess moisture, simply pat the spiralized noodles dry with paper towels or a thin kitchen rag.

Mushy veggies are also often the result of overcooking. When the interior is loaded with moisture, you have to cook it for much longer to evaporate all of the water and avoid the interior having the unappealing, spongy, raw texture that eggplant and zucchini are notorious for.