This easy and healthy casserole is a great way to use up all those vegetables from your garden. It feeds a crowd and tastes amazing! Perfect meatless dinner for a summer night.
Tomato Basil Summer Veggie Casserole
This easy and healthy casserole is a great way to use up all those vegetables from your garden. It feeds a crowd and tastes amazing! Perfect meatless dinner for a summer night.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound broccoli, 2 crowns (or you can use frozen florets. Thaw them first.)*
- 12 ounces rotini pasta, I used the multicolored kind
- 1 large tomato, chopped**
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic , minced
- 15 ounces white beans, 1 can, drained
- 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 8 ounces mozzarella, fresh, chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan
- olive oil
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, fresh, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a very large bowl, stir together cottage cheese, eggs, lemon juice, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil in a 3-quart pot. Add about a tablespoon of salt.
- While it's heating up, cut your broccoli into similar-sized florets.
- When the water is boiling, add the broccoli then immediately cover with a lid. Keep the heat on high. Set a timer for 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon (don't drain!) to remove the broccoli to the bowl with the cottage cheese.
- Bring the remaining water back up to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander, then add the noodles to the bowl and stir.
- Add the chopped tomato to the bowl. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and reserve about a cup for the top of the casserole. Throw the rest in the bowl.
- Add the chopped onions and garlic to the bowl. If you don't love raw onions/garlic, you can saute them in a little oil for a few minutes before adding them to the bowl. They won't become completely cooked in the oven, so be aware.
- Add the white beans, 1/2 cup basil, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Stir well.
- Grease a deep 9x13 inch casserole dish and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pour the mixture into the dish. Top with the remaining cherry tomato halves. Sprinkle with the chopped fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/4 up Parmesan. Drizzle the dish with a bit of olive oil, just a tablespoon or 2.
- Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. When it's done baking, immediately sprinkle with fresh chopped basil. Serves a crowd!
Notes
*You can use zucchini instead of broccoli. No need to cook first, just toss it in.
**Use any kind of tomatoes you like (all regular or all cherry). I just used what I had on hand. Source: adapted from The Kitchn
**Use any kind of tomatoes you like (all regular or all cherry). I just used what I had on hand. Source: adapted from The Kitchn
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 1259mg | Potassium: 935mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1501IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 483mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make this? I'd love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!
Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake: (you could try this with zucchini in place of the asparagus, that would be good)
Poblano, Corn, and Zucchini Lasagna: << this is soooo good
Other awesome summer casseroles from friends:
Broccoli Quinoa Casserole from Eat Good 4 Life
Cheesy Taco Casserole from Cookie Monster Cooking
Mediterranean Quinoa Casserole from Making Thyme for Health
Broccoli Quinoa Casserole from Eat Good 4 Life
Cheesy Taco Casserole from Cookie Monster Cooking
Mediterranean Quinoa Casserole from Making Thyme for Health
Twice Baked Potato Casserole from Mom on Timeout
So if this is a weeknight dinner…. I’m coming over.
I grew up with a “black” thumb and after I had a baby I miraculously developed a green thumb. I love putting veggies in casseroles! Can’t wait to try it
I wish I had a green-thumb neighbor to come take care of my garden!! That would be awesome :) And this casserole also sounds awesome! So full of delicious summer produce!
This looks scrumptious! What a great way to get your veggies in. Poor Eric…he probably did all the hard work of making the tomatoes come to fruition, and the weather and timing must have been just perfect for them to really come to life while you were on vacation. Now the neighbor gets all the credit lol. But seriously, this casserole looks sooo yummy. My Dad just gave me a huge bag full of tomatoes he bought at the farmer’s market for 50 cents!! It’s like 5 lbs worth of tomatoes and was obviously a ridiculously good deal. I made a bunch of tomato soup with almost half of it, but this looks like the perfect way to use up the other half. Also fresh mozzarella is everythingggg. My mom always uses it in her lasagna, which converted me for life. :)
Oh my gosh I am so jealous of your abundant tomatoes… we tried our shot at a tomato garden a couple years ago but I failed miserably! I just stick to the farmer’s market now-a-days. This veggie casserole looks beyond delicious. Pinned!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! This is perfect for the summer – just love it!
Thanks Patricia! I’m just relieved to have something to do with all these tomatoes! :)
Well that’s a relief!! Keep those recipes coming here to the east coast!
This is absolutely stunning! Such a delicious and hearty casserole, pinning!
Thanks Medha! Hearty is a good word for it. Love when vegetarian dishes end up like that :)
I HOPE that when you mentioned vegetable drawer that you were NOT referring to the one in the refrigerator!! Here in Delaware if one puts tomatoes in the refrig, he/she risks never being able to use tomatoes again in life!!!
The casserole will work so well for the vegetarians in my family!! Thanks!
Arlene, that’s so funny that you mentioned that. My mother didn’t teach me right and we grew up with tomatoes in the fridge. (I didn’t like them back then anyway. Kids are so dumb.) But just last year my friend (who is from Maine!!) told me that once a tomato has been in the fridge she will not eat it. So I stopped putting them in and it is so much better! When I saw the bag of store tomatoes in there I was shaking my fist at my husband. Maybe he’s just trying to make his garden tomatoes seem EVEN BETTER by comparison :) :) haha!
It looks so yummy! There is nothing like fresh Tomatoes from the garden.
Amen Marye! So much better fresh off the vine than from the store.
This looks soo good! Perfect for summer vegetables :) I planted my first garden this year and I’m crossing my fingers the tomatoes are successful!
Good for you! Gardening has it’s own special rewarding feeling, and I’m not even talking about the food :) My husband’s secret is Miracle Grow, I think they even have a tomato-specific kind!
This looks so good, Karen! Wish I had green thumb neighbors! Actually, wish I just had a green thumb myself. I used to be pretty good, but I seem to be slipping in my gardening skills lately!
Same thing happened to me Liz!! Last year I grew some basil and it went all giant on me, I loved it. This year it stinks. Although it may have something to do with the fact that the tomatoes are in the spot that the basil was in last year…seriously, we have like one square foot of decent soil in our entire yard :) Guess I’ll need to keep mooching off the neighbors.
Dear Karen, what a beautiful casserole! All those seasonal ingredients are so delicious and colorful- I’m craving a plate of this for dinner tonight! xo, Catherine
Thanks Catherine! One of the best parts about summer is the food :)
I have a black thumb so I’m never lucky enough to have any produce in my garden! But I have no shame in begging others for it! :) I’ll definitely be making this!
I’m with you Kim, my thumb is not so great! :) Let me know how you like it, thanks for stopping by!
What a fabulous way to use up all those summer veggies and I love that you added beans to help round this dish into complete meal :)
Thanks Kristen! Yeah, the beans were in the original recipe and I loved it. I never would have thought to put them in myself!