This gratin-style cheesy courgette and tomato bake is the perfect dish for using up homegrown tomatoes and courgettes.
Serve as a side dish, on its own for a light lunch, or for something more substantial, with crusty bread and a side salad.
In this seasonal summertime dish, the courgettes are flavoured with garlic, onions and herbs before being topped with creamy mozzarella and fresh tomato slices. Grated grana padano and panko style breadcrumbs provide a crispy crunchy topping.
The courgette, tomato and mozzarella bake needs just 25 minutes in the oven before you can tuck in!
Have you seen my Courgette and Feta Frittata recipe? It's another great dish for using up a glut of courgettes!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Great for using up a glut of courgettes and tomatoes.
- Easy to make
- Can be frozen
- Delicious for lunch or dinner
- Can also be served as a vegetable side dish
🥘 Ingredients
- Courgettes - also known as zucchini. You will need two medium courgettes for this recipe, halved and then sliced into 2cm chunks.
- Onion - 1 white onion but swap for a red onion if you prefer.
- Garlic - 1 fresh garlic clove, or replace with 1tsp of garlic powder.
- Herbs - I used dried herbs, but use fresh if you have them to hand. Parsley, thyme, oregano, and rosemary would all work well
- Tinned Tomatoes - 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes.
- Mozzarella - 1 ball of mozzarella, drained and sliced.
- Fresh Tomato - 1 large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly.
- Breadcrumbs - panko style dried breadcrumbs result a lovely crunchy topping, or you could make your own breadcrumbs with stale bread.
- Grana Padano - or use grated Parmesan if you prefer.
- Olive Oil - for frying the courgettes and onions.
- Sugar - to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Optional extra's include red pesto and smoked paprika.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas 4/ 350F). Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the onions and garlic until soft. This should take 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.
Two: Add the chopped courgettes and dried Italian herbs (and smoked paprika if using), and continue to fry until the courgettes become tender.
Three: Pour in the chopped tomatoes, sugar, red pesto (if using) and salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Four: Transfer the courgette and tomato mixture to a baking dish.
Five: Lay over the mozzarella and tomato slices.
Six: Top with the grated cheese, more dried Italian herbs, and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
💭 Top tips
- Use freshly harvested courgettes and tomatoes for the best flavour!
- There is no need to peel the courgettes before cooking.
- Bake the gratin in 4 small individual baking dishes to serve as a dinner party starter.
🍴 Serving suggestions
The cheesy courgette and tomato bake (gratin) is delicious served as a light lunch or dinner, with homemade focaccia and salad.
It also makes a tasty side dish which you could serve with any of the following;
- Creme Fraiche Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Tinned Tuna Burgers
- Slow Cooker Lamb Breast
- Slow Cooker Pork Chops
📖 Variations
- Use fresh herbs in the courgette and tomato bake instead of dried herbs. Parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil would all work well.
- Swap the mozzarella for crumbled feta cheese and black olives for a Greek twist on this dish.
- If you like things spicy, add 1 chopped red chilli and cook with the onions and garlic.
- Stir leftover roast chicken, cooked bacon or pulled pork through the courgettes and tomatoes, to make it go further and boost the flavour.
- Make a quick and easy courgette and tomato lasagne by layering the mixture between lasagne sheets, before topping with the sliced mozzarella and tomato, and finishing with the cheesy breadcrumb topping.
🥡 Storage
The dish can be prepped up to the point of baking and left in the fridge for up to 48 hours. When ready to eat, place the dish in the oven and bake as directed.
The baked courgette gratin can also be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in portions in the microwave.
The recipe is suitable for home freezing. I suggest freezing the dish before baking. The courgette and tomato bake can then be placed straight in the oven from the freezer (you will need to increase the cooking time by 5-10 minutes).
❓ FAQS
Courgettes contain very few calories and have a high water content, which makes them a brilliant food for people on low calories diets. Courgettes also provide useful amounts of immune system-boosting vitamin C, and potassium, which is key to controlling blood pressure.
Young courgettes can be eaten raw, either shaved into ribbons or finely sliced into a salad. Courgettes can also be sautéd, roasted, grilled, baked, or barbecued. They can even be added to cakes, brownies, and muffins. Larger courgettes (known as marrows) can be stuffed and baked in the oven.
Courgettes do not need to be peeled before cooking. Cut the ends off and either cook whole or chop into rounds, chunks or strips.
😋Related recipes
Got a glut of courgettes? Check out these tasty recipes!
- Chocolate Courgette Muffins
- Courgette Fritters
- Courgette Brownies
- Courgette and Feta Burgers
- Courgette and Pancetta Pasta
🍽️ More family-friendly recipes
Check out more delicious recipes from the Effortless Foodie kitchen!
Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Recipe
Cheesy Courgette and Tomato Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove peeled and finely chopped
- 2 Courgettes halved and sliced into 2cm chunks.
- 1 tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika optional
- 400 g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Red Pesto optional
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 225 g Mozzarella Ball drained and sliced
- 1 Tomato sliced
- 100 g Breadcrumbs panko style
- 50 g Grana Padano finely grated
- 1 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas 4/ 350F). Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the onions and garlic until soft. This should take 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.
- Add the chopped courgettes and dried Italian herbs (and smoked paprika if using), and continue to fry until the courgettes become tender.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, sugar, red pesto (if using) and salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the courgette and tomato mixture to a baking dish.
- Lay over the mozzarella and tomato slices.
- Top with the grated cheese, more dried Italian herbs, and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Video
Notes
- Use fresh herbs in the courgette and tomato bake instead of dried herbs. Parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil would all work well.
- Swap the mozzarella for crumbled feta cheese and black olives for a Greek twist on this dish.
- If you like things spicy, add 1 chopped red chilli and cook with the onions and garlic.
- Stir leftover roast chicken, cooked bacon or pulled pork through the courgettes and tomatoes to make the meal more substantial and boost the flavour.
- Make a quick and easy courgette and tomato lasagne by layering the mixture between 2 layers of lasagne sheets, before topping with the sliced mozzarella and tomato and the cheesy crispy topping.
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Bintu | Budget Delicious
What a delicious sounding bake! Full of goodness and perfect for a light lunch!
Pam Greer
Such a tasty and delicious recipe, perfect for using up summer produce!
Claudia Lamascolo
this was super delicious and tasty and the whole family enjoyed it!
Beth
This is going to be a great dinner tonight! My teens are going to love this. Excited to give this a try tonight! Looks so flavorful and very tasty!
Michelle
Such a fantastic way to use up tomatoes and zucchinis! Thanks for sharing!