Zucchini Beef Casserole

Zucchini Beef Casserole

Zucchinis are in abundance this time of year.  I found a favorite recipe Mom made during the summers when zucchinis were in season.  It was taken from a newspaper clipping, and as you can see, it is worn with age and use.  It was given to her by Florence Royce who was married to Dewey Royce, my Dad's uncle.

Casseroles are a farm favorite.  They do not take a lot of time to prepare, and can go into the oven without a lot of attention while they are cooking.

The History of the Casserole

A casserole, from the French for “saucepan”, is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan. In British English, this type of dish is frequently also called a bake, coinciding with the cooking techniqueused to cook casseroles.
The casseroles we know today are a relatively modern invention. Early 18th century casserole recipes consisted of rice that was pounded, pressed, and filled with a savoury mixture of meats such as chicken or sweetbreads. Some time around the 1870s this sense of casserole seems to have slipped into its current sense. Cooking in earthenware containers has always been common in most nations, but the idea of casserole cooking as a one-dish meal became popular in America in the twentieth century, especially in the 1950s when new forms of lightweight metal and glassware appeared on the market.
(from Multi Cultural Cooking Network's Blog)

    New cooking techniques make it easy to prepare a casserole today with more variety and flexibility. And with its greater use of vegetables and grains, the modern casserole is an easy and enjoyable way to satisfy the demand for healthier dishes.

     Although the casserole has a long history in America, it did not begin to attract major attention until condensed, canned soups came on the market. The casserole became an American staple in the Depression, when cheap but filling meals were essential. It rose in popularity during World War II as women began to enter the workplace in large numbers, and reached its heyday in the 1950s.
(from www.cinnamonhearts.com, Casseroles Make A Comeback)

This is a very nutritious dish, and uses the condensed canned soup that made casseroles popular.

It does not have any tomatoes in the recipe as many zucchini dishes do.  Give this recipe a try, and it may just become your go-to recipe for zucchini.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 small red or green pepper
• 1 cup cracker crumbs
• 1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1/2 lb. ground beef

Assemble the ingredients.

Peel and slice lengthwise about 2 cups zucchini,
or 1 medium zucchini.

Oil bottom of casserole pan.

Layer zucchini into bottom of oiled pan.

Pulse crackers in food processor to make 1 cup crumbs.

Chop 1/2 onion and add to pan.

Chop 1 green bell pepper and add to casserole pan.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with 1 cup of cracker crumbs.
Then pour can of soup (undiluted) over crumbs.

Spread soup evenly over  ingredients.

Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.

Casserole is ready for oven.

Bake 45 minutes in a 325 degree preheated oven.

Meanwhile, while casserole is in oven,
brown 1/2 lb. of ground beef.

Cook thoroughly.

Remove casserole from oven  when baked
for 45 minutes.

Sprinkle cooked ground beef over top.

The original recipes calls to return to oven and cook
for 15 more minutes.  I did not return it to oven, as it
makes the ground beef dry.

Enjoy!