Italian Casserole

Using fresh garden tomatoes, zucchini and ricotta with fresh mozzarella makes this Italian casserole dish an excellent family meal!

We absolutely loved this Italian Casserole and it reheats in the microwave and somehow gets better! I used my canned garden tomato pieces in this recipe but some whole canned tomatoes would work just as well. I prefer whole tomatoes in this to plum, but that is your choice. The dish was inspired by a Williams-Sonoma pasta recipe and here it is.

• 1/2 box penne pasta
• 1 medium length zucchini
• 1 - 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with liquid
• 1 - 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese + some for the top
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh parsley
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• cooking spray

I used an 11 x 7 inch casserole dish for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 425°

1. Lightly spray your casserole dish.
2. Get a pot of water boiling for the pasta. (Remember to generously salt the water.)
3. Slice your zucchini into rounds.
4. In a large bowl combine the ricotta with the parsley, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Heat up your tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, add in the zucchini after 5 minutes.
6. While the tomatoes are cooking drop your pasta and cook to el dente stage.
7. Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the ricotta mixture. Toss well.
8. Add in the cooked tomatoes and juices, the zucchini and toss to combine.
9. Put the mixture in your casserole dish and sprinkle with more parmesan cheese.
10. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Feeds: 4-6 people
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes


The zucchini was el dente and added a nice texture element as well as taste to the dish. I love the fresh tomatoes and mozzarella - it all worked beautifully together.