Zucchini Bake
A courgette is 95% water, and that water has to go somewhere — either into the dish or out beforehand. Twenty minutes with salt draws off nearly a cup from a kilo. Squeeze it out and the bake holds together, cuts into squares and tastes of courgette rather than diluted batter.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 25 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 250 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: a 24 cm dish, 6 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Grate and salt
Grate the courgettes coarsely, toss with a teaspoon of salt and leave 20 minutes. Young courgettes need no peeling — the skin is thin and holds its shape.
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Step 2: Squeeze them out
Wring them by hand or in muslin. A kilo gives up 150–200 ml — exactly the liquid that will not end up in the bake.
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Step 3: Mix the base
Add the eggs, sour cream, garlic, dill and pepper. No more salt is needed: some stayed in the courgettes.
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Step 4: Add the dry side
Fold in the flour with the baking powder and two thirds of the cheese. The mixture should be as thick as pancake batter; if it runs, add a spoon of flour.
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Step 5: Fill and top
Spread it in a greased dish and scatter over the rest of the cheese. The layer should be 3–4 cm; thicker will not cook through.
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Step 6: Bake
Forty to forty-five minutes at 180 °C, to a golden top and a clean skewer. Rest 15 minutes before cutting.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Do not pour the squeezed liquid away at once: if the mixture turns out too stiff, a spoonful of it corrects the texture without diluting the flavour.
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Tip
Old courgettes with large seeds taste bitter and hold more water. If that is all you have, cut the seedy core out entirely.
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Variation
Feta instead of hard cheese makes it saltier and moister; cherry tomatoes on top make it look like a dish for guests.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge. It is good cold too — with a spoon of sour cream it is breakfast.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 250 kcal | 1,500 kcal |
| Protein | 12 g | 72 g |
| Fat | 15 g | 90 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g | 96 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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