Baked Zucchini with Bacon
This Baked Zucchini with Bacon is a great way to use the abundant supply of summer zucchini – in a casserole with bacon, tomato sauce, and onion.
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I’m a veggie lover. Always have been. Even back in the day when “meat and three” was the norm at little country restaurants, I could always make a meal from just the “three.”
A plate full of summer veggies with a bit of cornbread on the side. Well, that’s just about as close to Heaven as you can get in my opinion.
However, I gotta tell you. Zucchini just isn’t my favorite veggie. I cook it often enough because I just feel obligated to in the summer when it’s plentiful and cheap. I just don’t usually enjoy it much. It always seems to need something to bump up its flavor if you know what I mean?
Something like…bacon! Oh, yeah, of course.
Well, bacon makes everything better so why wouldn’t it work for zucchini? Oh, it does. It works beautifully to give this casserole that great smoky flavor that everyone loves.
Then add to that a coating of tomato sauce, some onions and garlic, and a topping of crushed crackers and Parmesan cheese, and we have a winner of a baked zucchini recipe.
How to Make Baked Zucchini with Bacon
Start by preheating the oven to 350 and prepping a casserole dish. Either grease it with butter or lightly coat it with cooking spray.
Prep the bacon by cutting it cross-wise, slice the onion into half moon shapes, mince the garlic and thinly slice the zucchini. Accuracy is not so important. Just get everything cut up and ready to cook.
Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it is just cooked but not crispy. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened. Drain the bacon-onion-garlic mixture to remove the excess fat.
Here’s my trick for draining things like this. Fold a couple of paper towels and place them in a paper plate. Dump whatever mixture you need to drain on top of the paper towels and let it sit for a few minutes. Return the mixture to the pan and the majority of the fat stays with the paper towels. Discard the whole mess. Nothing to wash! I actually keep a supply of cheap paper plates on hand all the time just for this. Really. This works especially well for draining ground beef.
Return the onion and bacon mixture back to the skillet. Add the zucchini, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
Crush the crackers. Simply put them in a sealed plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin a few times. Add the Parmesan cheese to the crushed crackers and then sprinkle that mixture evenly over the zucchini in the casserole dish.
Drizzle the top with olive oil or dot it with butter.
Cover with foil and and bake for about 30 minutes or until it’s hot and bubbly. Remove the foil about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time so that the cracker crumbs brown nicely.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Oven Baked Zucchini Fries
- Tomato-Zucchini Tian
- Zucchini Chips
- Pan Fried Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan
- Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
- Stuffed Zucchini
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Baked Zucchini with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon diced
- 1 large yellow or white onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups sliced zucchini about 2 medium
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 12 whole grain saltine crackers crushed
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tblsp. olive oil or butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with either butter or cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it is cooked but not crisp. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the zucchini, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour the zucchini mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Crush the crackers and combine with the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the cracker and cheese mixture evenly over the zucchini mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil or dot with butter.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Remove the cover about 10 minutes before the end of cooking time to allow for better browning.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
More Zucchini Recipes …
- Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant Parmesan from Cookin’ Canuck
- Zucchini Fritters from Smitten Kitchen
- Zucchini Coconut Bread from Two Peas and Their Pod
Actually, I love zucchini but, yeah, my men, not so much. This dish would be the perfect way to get them to eat it! The bacon and the cheesy crumb crust are great! I love your recipes!
I make something similiar but this looks fabulous a must try!
This looks like the absolute perfect way to enjoy zucchini. Bacon makes anything more enjoyable! :)
Zucchini is like nature’s sponge. It has little taste. It takes on the flavor of the dish in which is it used. How else can you explain something that’s the main component of a delicious sweet bread, delicious grilled with a drizzle of olive oil or nearly heaven when paired with a savory cheesy stuffing?
Miss P
Right. Zucchini is only as good as what you pair it with. Then again, bacon and cheese make everything better :-)
I know what you mean about zucchini – it needs a little boost! This looks like it may be it!
It most definitely needs a boost! And this recipe surely gives it one.