Tomato and Zucchini Casserole With Crisp Cheddar Topping Recipe (2024)

I'd go with olive oil rather than butter, and stick to traditional Parm and breadcrumbs. Different doesn't equal better.

Good but watery. Will salt the vegetables in a separate bowl first next time and let them release some of their liquid before transferring to baking dish.

After reading many of the notes, I decided to salt the tomatoes and let them drain in a colander while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. I substituted 1/2 c. chopped capers for olives, and used fresh oregano. I found it difficult to purée the (part skim) ricotta, basil, and garlic in a blender (too thick). I may use a food processor next time. The casserole wasn't too runny -- it was just right! Husband and son-in-law gave it high ratings. I'll make this again!

I had the same experience as a few others -- very watery. We also used whole milk ricotta. We liked the flavor a lot, so if we try it again we might toss in a cup of rice.

To reduce a watery result, try seeding the tomatoes and simply don't put the ricotta in the blender.

I roasted the vegetables. Then proceeded with the recipe. Seemed to solve the water issue. And I think it added flavor.

Oh my, delicious!Added one cup rice, under tomatoes on top of zucchini and chopped onions. Subbed capers for the olives. Added extra cheese to topping. Drained tomatoes on paper towels, salted veggies as they drained. Sliced rounds of tomatoes and zucchini. Cooked a bit longer, about 15 minutes.

Hmmmm... I thought this was underwhelming. My husband, however, had seconds. If I make it again, I'll add onion and either more cheddar or add parmesan. I agree it was a little soggy, and I did use good ricotta. This also made enough to feed an army.

Substituted feta for ricotta and olive oil for butter (as others suggested). Roasted the zucchini slices for 25 minutes ahead of full bake. Will make again!

I took the advice of a few commenters and made sure to salt the zucchini and tomatoes separately in bowls before adding to the casserole dish. I also seeded the tomatoes. Once salted I let them sit to release some of the juices and then dried them as I added them to the casserole dish. No issues with this being watery at all! It was perfect. Very different and very tasty.

Olive oil is great, but if you sub it in this recipe the consistency of the streusel like topping will be different...probably still delicious though :)

A soggy mess!

Thank you. It's allways helpful when olive oil serves as a good substitute for butter.

As others have suggested, the dish is somewhat watery. We ate it with some good sourdough bread to soak up the juice - delicious!!

I wish I had read the comments. Putting the ricotta in the blender liquefied it and turned the whole thing into soup. Awful.

I was thinking I should use plum/Roma tomatoes to make it less liquidy but I didn’t.There was a lot of liquid, and some of the zucchini were still a little solid to the tooth. My daughter suggested for next time baking the zucchini ahead of time to get rid of some of the liquid. I loved it! I get to take all the leftovers for lunch during the week!

Thanks to all the notes, I roasted the veggies first to prevent excess water then followed the recipe using mint. Also added feta + the ricotta mixture, and what came out was a delicious creamy flavor with the right amount of oat crunch. Will definitely make again.

I make this recipe every summer! I’ve found that salting the tomatoes and zucchini as others have suggested is the way to go. This time I salted generously and left in the colander/bowl for about an hour on the counter, stirring every now and then to encourage the water to release. Also, this time instead of adding the basil to the food processor, I chopped it and mixed it in afterwards because sometimes it turns my ricotta green in the food processor. Loved it!

As some have mentioned, very watery. Tasted much better reheated next day

I didn't read the reviews before making this or I might have skipped it. Unlike some I didn't end up with a soggy mess, but I made modifications: added white beans to bulk it up some and used pattypan squash vs. standard zucchini as I have an overabundance of pattypan right now. I think pattypan may be less watery than zucchini. The delicate flavor and texture of the crumb topping against the ricotta is what made it a winner for me. It was better the second day. It does make a ton.

Salt and drain vegetables. Roast veg first, then proceed. Bread crumbs and parm is just as good. Maybe capers instead of alive.

This was good, the ricotta puree gave it an important kick.Can substitute pesto for fresh basilCan use any combination of corn, tomatoes, summer squash, and zucchini. Can substitute crust for breadcrumbs and cheese dotted with butter.

I was underwhelmed with the flavors although I did not have any problems with watery vegetables. If I make it again I would change the topping. I did not like the rolled oats combination.

I didn’t like this too much; felt gooey with the ricotta mix

This was extremely watery, and I regret not reading the notes first. I would make it again, but I would salt the vegetables, let them reduce their water content, and then roast before topping and just broil the top for crispness. The ricotta mixture is delicious, and I may use it for other applications.

I took the advice of a few commenters and made sure to salt the zucchini and tomatoes separately in bowls before adding to the casserole dish. I also seeded the tomatoes. Once salted I let them sit to release some of the juices and then dried them as I added them to the casserole dish. No issues with this being watery at all! It was perfect. Very different and very tasty.

We're usually big fans of Melissa's recipes, but this was completely unsuccessful. We could identify no redeeming qualities, and the preparation is considerable to boot: you're using the food processor *and* working butter into an oat topping with your hands. Perhaps if the recipe title hadn't included the word "crispy" we'd have been less disappointed; crispy it was not. A rare miss from Melissa.

This recipe is great! I used up some leftover rice that I mixed with a little sautéed onion and put that down as a thin bottom layer. I used zucchini and summer squash as that’s what I had on hand and mixed that with some leftover tomato sauce because I only had one very large tomato which I used as written. Topped the ricotta dollops with tiny dollops of kalamata olive spread and topped with bread crumbs and Parm as I had no oats. Loved the adaptability of the recipe. Delicious!