My Dad’s Zucchini Pizza Casserole Is the Best Thing I’ve Eaten This Year

It’s a saucy, cheesy casserole that the whole family will love.

By
Lou Perseghin
Lou Perseghin
Lou Perseghin
Lou Perseghin is a stay-at-home Dad, a home cook with 15+ years of experience, and a culinary content creator. His work is featured on Simply Recipes.
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Published October 02, 2025
Lou Perseghin
A plate of zucchini pizza bake served with a fork showcasing melted cheese and vegetables in a tomatobased sauce

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Making stuffed zucchini boats is a fun idea in theory, but a lot of work in practice. Plus, convincing a child that cheesy, saucy zucchini boats are “kind of like French bread pizza” is a losing proposition—setting half a zucchini in front of them while using the word “pizza” is basically a cruel bait and switch.

Luckily, my Dad and his partner recently shared this zucchini bake casserole with me and my son, and after I had enthusiastic thirds, they shared their recipe with me. They have been experimenting with this dish because while they love zucchini boats, they found them messy to eat, difficult to store, and a pain to reheat.

This version addresses all those issues and is also far easier to assemble. You can put it all together in the morning, cover and refrigerate it, and bake later for dinner, if you like. It’s ideal for tossing in the oven after a day of activities while everyone gets changed and settled for dinner. 

It offers all of the gooey, melty cheese and zesty tomato sauce your family craves, all on a bed of tender zucchini. You’ll want to serve this dish with a crusty bread—an Italian loaf, baguette, or garlic bread, ideally. It completes the pizza profile and is perfect for wiping your bowl.

A plate of a zucchini pizza bake next to a casserole dish and a small dish of grated cheese

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Key Ingredients

  • I’m from the mid-Atlantic, so I love using the Don Pepino brand of pizza sauce made with Jersey Fresh tomatoes in this dish. But feel free to use whatever sauce is your favorite.
  • If you like a little heat, Ro-Tel has hot and extra hot varieties to choose from. You can also swap in hot Italian sausage or even chorizo for extra spiciness.
  • Use your favorite kind of melty cheese here; my Dad recommends a four-cheese taco blend.

Tips for Making My Zucchini Pizza Bake

  • Zucchini is watery and releases its juices when cooked. To reduce the volume of liquid in the finished dish, make sure to drain the Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles and cooked sausage before adding them to the casserole. 
  • If you’re feeling ambitious and have a little extra time, sprinkle the chopped zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt, drain it in a colander for about 20 minutes, then blot it with a paper towel before assembly to remove even more liquid. 
  • For even more pizza vibes, topping the casserole with pepperoni before cooking is delicious, and sprinkling it with fresh parmesan as it comes out of the oven is even better.
A plate of zucchini pizza bake served with a fork garnished with cheese

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Total Time 70 mins
Servings 4 to 6
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

  • 2 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 3/4 to 1- inch chunks (about 4 cups)

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced 

  • 3 large cloves garlic, sliced thin

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

  • 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese or four-cheese taco blend

  • 1 (12 to 14.5-ounce) jar pizza sauce

  • Grated parmesan cheese, for serving, optional

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Brown the sausage:

    In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

  3. Assemble the casserole:

    In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine the zucchini, onion, and garlic, spreading the vegetables into an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with the pepper. 

    Spread the drained sausage evenly over the vegetables, then cover evenly with the drained tomatoes and chiles. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese, then evenly spread the pizza sauce over the top with a spoon.

  4. Bake:

    Bake until the liquid in the bottom of the dish is bubbling rapidly and the edges of the visible sausage and cheese are browned, about 45 minutes. The sauce will have darkened and it will smell like pizza.

  5. Serve:

    Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before sprinkling with parmesan, if desired, and serving with a spoon.

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in an oven-safe dish at 350ºF for 10 minutes.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
302 Calories
17g Fat
14g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 302
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 53mg 18%
Sodium 930mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 25mg 127%
Calcium 285mg 22%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 773mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.