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Ground Beef Zucchini Casserole

Ground Beef Zucchini Casserole

A delicious Ground Beef Zucchini Casserole made with quinoa, vegetables, and cheese for a hearty meal.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course main dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 472 kcal

Equipment

  • casserole dish

Ingredients
  

Quinoa and Meat

  • 1 cup dry quinoa cooked according to package instructions
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup yellow cooking onion diced

Vegetables and Seasonings

  • Salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups low sugar tomato sauce marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Cheeses

  • 1 cup cottage cheese ricotta cheese will also work
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
  • Fresh basil for topping

Instructions
 

Cooking Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
  • Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
  • While the quinoa is cooking- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add ½ of the olive oil (1 tbsp). Once hot, add ground beef, garlic and yellow onions and cook until meat is no longer pink in colour and onions are fragrant and translucent, season with salt and pepper. Drain excess oil and add meat to the casserole dish. Set aside.
  • In the same pan (don't clean it), add the remaining olive oil (1 tbsp). Once hot add sliced zucchini and additional salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until the zucchini is soft.
  • To the casserole dish with the meat, add cooked zucchini, spices, cottage cheese, cooked quinoa, tomato sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir together using a spatula. Gently spread the contents into an even layer in the dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake for approximately 30 minutes, setting the oven to broil for the final 5 minutes to brown the cheese (25 on regular bake, 5 on broil). Top with fresh basil and serve!

Notes

I have included an estimation of the nutrition information for this recipe below. However, always remember a recipe is so much more than just nutritional content.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 472kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 37gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 827mgPotassium: 1304mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1084IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 328mgIron: 5mg
Keyword baked dinner, Cheesy Casserole, ground beef, healthy casserole, quinoa, Zucchini Casserole
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