Easy Zucchini Orzo Casserole
on May 06, 2025, Updated May 27, 2025
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The simplest side dish zucchini casserole recipe and the perfect answer to what to do with all of that extra zucchini. Serve as a vegetarian main or a side dish!
This casserole is simply a beautiful blend of cubed zucchini with onion and herbs, some cheeses, plus some orzo. So easy, so simple, and yet so delicious. And it goes with pretty much everything, though you could definitely serve it as a vegetarian main course. Try it with Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Chops, Grilled Rib Lamb Chops, or Baked Salmon for a summery meal.
A zucchini casserole is the perfect recipe to make when you want to serve up something that includes both a starch and a vegetable. One-stop shopping! And it’s also the perfect way to use up that surplus of zucchini that rolls in in late summer.
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Yes, you can use summer squash in this casserole as well. The only real difference will be the color. Yellow summer squash might also be slightly milder in flavor than zucchini, but with the other ingredients added in here, you won’t notice much difference.
Start this summery meal with Gazpacho, and if you want to keep the vegetarian theme going, pair the zucchini orzo bake with Grilled Cauliflower Steaks and a Cucumber, Avocado, and Tomato salad.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Chopped onion
- Dried orzo
- Zucchini – No need to peel; just cube it.
- Fresh thyme – Feel free to change up the fresh herb as you like. You could also use 1 teaspoon dried thyme or another herb of your choice.
- Vegetable or chicken broth – Use vegetable broth to keep this casserole vegetarian.
- Half-and-half – If you want a richer casserole, you can use heavy cream instead.
- Cheddar cheese and Fontina or Havarti cheese – Half of these cheeses are incorporated into the casserole, and half are sprinkled on top before baking. You can use any shredded melty cheese you like, or try crumbled feta or goat cheese.
How to Make Zucchini Orzo Casserole
- Cook the orzo: Sauté the onions in a large skillet. Add the orzo and stir for a minute, then add the broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the half-and-half, cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer gently for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is almost tender.
- Add the zucchini and cheese: Stir in the zucchini and thyme. Add half of the cheese, stirring until it is melted. Transfer the mixture to a 13 x 9 baking pan or 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup of each cheese.
- Bake: Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve hot or warm.
Variation
- You could finish this on the stove and skip the baking, resulting in a more risotto-like dish. However, baking it in the oven gives the top a lovely crust, which is pretty to look at and provides a nice textural contrast.
- You could use roughly chopped steamed broccoli in place of the orzo.
- I made one version of this with 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend instead of the two cheeses, and it was great.
- Add some crumbled cooked bacon (about 1/2 cup) to the dish when you stir in the first half of the cheese. Obviously, this makes the casserole non-vegetarian.
- The 3-quart or 9 x 13 pan results in a very shallow zucchini casserole with a lot of caramelized cheesy topping. If you want a deeper, thicker casserole, make this in a 9-inch square baking pan.
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Easy Zucchini Orzo Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 ½ cups dried orzo
- 4 cups cubed zucchini
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese (divided)
- ½ cup grated fontina or Havarti cheese (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly spray a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a very large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes until they start to become tender. Add the orzo and stir for another minute until the orzo is nicely coated with the oil and onions. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the half-and-half and return to a simmer. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer gently for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is almost tender. Much of the liquid will have been absorbed, but it should still be fairly loose.
- Stir in the zucchini and thyme. Sprinkle in half of each cheese in batches, stirring after each addition until the cheese is all melted.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of each cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Serve hot or warm.
Notes
Storage & Leftovers
This casserole can be made 2 days ahead of time and stored unbaked in the fridge. Bring to room temp and bake before serving. Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave.Nutrition
What to Serve With Zucchini Casserole
