Zucchini Goat Cheese Casserole with Crumble Topping makes a lovely summer dish, bursting with light and refreshing flavors. Olive oil, lemon zest and zucchini are combined together with soft and creamy goat cheese, and topped with a parmesan crisp that adds in texture. Simple and delicious!
When in season, zucchini is one of my favorite veggie to cook with, alongside with eggplants and tomatoes. Zucchini is extremely versatile and works in many different recipes. You can indeed enjoy it raw and make zoodles out of it, grilled on the barbecue with herbs, sauté in a pan with some olive oil, in a gratin in the oven, and even shredded and incorporated into the most delicious moist zucchini breads (like this one or this one).
Today, I chose another way to cook it, or should I say to bake it, since I prepared a delicious zucchini goat cheese casserole topped with crumble topping. This dish is directly inspired from a classic French dish that ranges among the savory crumble recipes, and I’m really excited to introduce it to you.
How to make Zucchini Goat Cheese Casserole?
This dish is actually what we would call it “a crumble” in French, using the English word itself. We will come back to this semantic aspect in the next paragraph, but for now let’s describe the recipe.
Zucchini is doubled cooked/baked. In this zucchini goat cheese casserole, the zucchini is cooked twice: it is first sauté in a pan with some olive oil, and then baked in the oven. This double cooking/baking process makes zucchini extra soft, with a lightly crispy texture at the same time. In other words, it adds in nutty flavors, thanks to the sautéed process with olive oil, bringing some character to the dish.
Goat cheese mixture. It consists in fresh goat cheese, honey, mint, and lemon zest. Don’t forget the seasoning, with a hint of chili for a little additional kick if desired.
The layering process and the choice of pan. Once you have your two preparations, you need to assemble the casserole. To do so, you can use a shallow family-sized dish or individual ramekins. The choice of the first option makes the zucchini goat cheese casserole a great main dish, while the ramekins is more a portion-sized option that will make a perfect starter or side dish.
What is a crumble?
Traditionally, a crumble is a dish originated from England that can be made in a sweet or savory version. It features fruits or vegetables topped with a crumbly mixture of butter, flour, and sugar for a sweet version / cheese for a savory one.
France has popularized the term over the years, and this dish has now become a classic in every family, pretty much the same way homemade quiche and savory tart is. And if you think about it, a crumble is almost an upside-down tart, for which we simply crumble the crust over the sweet or savory filling.
For this savory crumble topping, I mixed together all-purpose flour with butter and grated parmesan cheese. The key is to simply rub the ingredients with your finger tips, allowing some chunk of dough rather than a sandy texture. Once ready, sprinkle over the filling, and place in the oven until slightly golden. The result yields in a crunchy bite-size texture that contrasts beautifully with the soft zucchini and goat cheese filling.
Other recipes using zucchini:
- Fresh Pappardelle with Grilled Vegetables
- Almond, Zucchini and Blue Cheese Tart
- Salmon and Zucchini Ricotta Pie
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Love crumble recipes? Try also:
- Easy Berry Crisp
- Best Apple Crisp
- Pecan, Pear and Chocolate Crumble
- Rhubarb Crumble Bars
- Elegant Spinach Salmon Crumble
- Roasted Cauliflower Hazelnut Crumble
Zucchini Goat Cheese Casserole with Crumble Topping
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Savory
- Diet: Vegetarian
Zucchini Goat Cheese Casserole with Crumble Topping makes a lovely summer dish, bursting with light and refreshing flavors. Olive oil, lemon zest and zucchini are combined together with soft and creamy goat cheese, and topped with a parmesan crisp that adds in texture. Simple and delicious!
Ingredients
- 3–4 small zucchini (about 1.5 to 2 pounds), sliced into 0.2 inches (0,5 cm)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + extra for greasing the pan(s)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pinch freshly ground chili pepper (optional)
- 3.5 ounces (100g) goat cheese
- Zests of 1 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup (50g) pine nuts, toasted
- 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup (80g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease 4 5-ounces ramekins (or a 9×13-inch / 23×33 cm dish) with olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, sauté zucchini slices, stirring often, until soft and slightly golden. Add garlic, and sauté for one more minute. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili (optional).
- In a separate pan, toast pine nuts on high heat with no addition of oil, stirring often to prevent from burning. Once golden, turn off the heat and transfer to a clean plate. Set aside.
- Crumble fresh goat cheese in a mixing bowl. Combine with honey, fresh mint, and lemon zests, and season with salt and pepper.
- Divide zucchini slices into each ramekin, overlapping them into an even layer. Top with the goat cheese mixture, sprinkle pine nuts all over, then finish up with another layer of overlapped zucchini slices.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, grated parmesan cheese, and softened butter until crumbly.
- Divide the crumble mixture over each ramekin, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until slightly golden. Eat warm or lukewarm.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Goat Cheese Casserole with Crumble Topping, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
