OWNSummer Recipes vegetablesVegetable Recipes

7 Veggie-Packed Casseroles To Make Before Summer Ends

Your farmers market haul is great for making salads -- but it can also play a starring role in these bake-it-all-in-one-dish dinners.
By Lynn Andriani
A Chance For Eggplant To Shine
Jody Horton
Traditional Greek moussaka is made with ground meat (often lamb) and eggplant -- but in her new book, One Pan, Two Plates: Vegetarian Suppers, Carla Snyder lets the dark purple nightshade steal the show. She creates a one-pan, meatless version of the Mediterranean casserole, and while it's meant to serve two, you could easily double the recipe, or serve it alongside a salad, bread and an assortment of dips for a casual supper.

Get the recipe: Moussaka
A Mac 'N' Cheese With Add-Ins That Feel A Little Familiar
Jody Horton
Versatile Swiss chard is fantastic in everything from quiche to soups, yet it's especially good in this new take on mac 'n' cheese from Snyder's book, which features an entire bunch of it. The hearty green, which is often paired with smoky meats, combines with Gouda -- a cheese that has an almost bacon- or ham-like flavor, thanks to the smoking process -- and tastes just right in this dish.

Get the recipe: Mac 'n' Smoked Gouda
The Garden Lasagna That's Hardly Garden Variety
tovfla/iStock
A handful of spinach leaves does not a vegetarian lasagna make -- which is why this take, exploding with veggies, is so wonderful. It's made with two eggplants, six zucchini, five portobello mushrooms and two red onions. Bonus: The recipe has an additional healthy twist, suggesting cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Get the recipe: Vegetarian Lasagna
The Throwback That's Ready For A Revival
LeeAnnWhite/iStock
Stuffed peppers may not be the trendiest dish on today's tables, but there's still something novel about getting a beautiful bell pepper neatly packed with savory, seasoned beef all to ourselves. Plus, once the peppers are stuffed, they freeze well, so it's easy to prepare this dish ahead of time. Just make the bread crumbs and sauce fresh on the day you want to serve the dish. Thaw the peppers, assemble and bake.

Get the recipe: Mamaw's Stuffed Peppers
A Rice Dish That Turns Tough Greens Into Silk
Leann Mueller
This flavorful, surprising dish is proof that Asian-influenced casseroles do exist. It starts with a layer of cooked brown rice. Next comes a tasty combination of sautéed Swiss chard, onion and ginger mixed with coconut milk, soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil -- which transforms the leafy vegetable into something tender and rich. On top of that, you crack eggs and bake just until the whites are set; when they come out of the oven, the bright yellow yolks look stunning against the greens.

Get the recipe: Sesame Baked Eggs
The One-Dish Version Of Taco Night
Alison Gootee
Our Mexican nights don't often feature too many green vegetables (aside from guacamole and chilies). The exception: this tortilla casserole. It includes a half-pound -- roughly two big bunches -- of fresh spinach, so it's packed with nutrition and vibrant color. There are also tomatoes and mozzarella, and if you've got leftover chicken, this is a terrific use for it (you only need a cup, about the equivalent of two breasts). Corn tortillas hold the ingredients together nicely, making the dish easy to cut and serve.

Get the recipe: Layered Tortilla Casserole
A Classic Crowd-Pleaser With Incredible Flavor
Joe Keller/Keller Keller
A cast-iron skillet is the secret to turning a pound and a half of grape tomatoes into a pasta sauce with a deep, pleasantly charred taste that takes this baked ziti to a new level. And unlike most baked pastas, the ziti cooks right in the sauce, so you don't need an extra pot. Just add mozzarella and Parmesan, and slide the skillet under the broiler for five minutes, until the cheeses are browned and bubbling.

Get the recipe: Baked Ziti with Charred Tomatoes

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Before You Go

9 Vegetarian Casseroles Even Meat Eaters Will Love
Another Reason to Love the Tiny Little Superseed(01 of09)
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This simple quinoa bake, from Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking, by Dana Shultz, is packed with vibrant produce yet still delivers that warm, wintry, comfort-food vibe. You cook quinoa in vegetable broth to give the seeds rich flavor, and the dish gets a woodsy, earthy taste from roasted butternut squash and mushrooms. Dark green kale brings even more nutrition and a burst of color.

Get the recipe: Butternut Squash, Kale and Quinoa Bake (credit:Dana Shultz)
A Revised Rendition of Everyone's Favorite Savory Pie(02 of09)
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These potpies, made with a hearty mix of mushrooms, barley and white beans, are just as delicious as the traditional chicken version -- but won't leave you in a food coma. You top each one with phyllo dough, which is a quicker, flakier and lighter alternative to the usual butter-heavy dough.

Get the recipe: Vegetable-Barley Potpies (credit:Andrew Purcell)
The Rice Dish with Unexpected Flavor(03 of09)
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We don't often see traditional Asian ingredients in casseroles, yet they come together just as beautifully in the oven as they do in the more traditional stove-top method of cooking. This flavorful dish starts with a layer of cooked brown rice. Next comes a tasty combination of sautéed Swiss chard, onion and ginger mixed with coconut milk, soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. On top of that, you crack eggs and bake just until the whites are set; when they come out of the oven, the bright yellow yolks look stunning against the greens.

Get the recipe: Sesame Baked Eggs (credit:Leann Mueller)
A Twist on Deep-Dish Pizza (Minus the Grease)(04 of09)
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Ground polenta -- aka corn grits -- is an underutilized secret weapon for busy cooks. Long a staple in southern Italy and the American South, it's cheap and wildly versatile, and the uncooked version will keep in the pantry or refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a year. In this flavorful recipe from Georgina Fuggle's Take One Pot, you cook the grain until it thickens into a soft cake, and then top it with thinly sliced mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta. Under the broiler, the tomato skins burst, the mushroom wilts and the cheese melts; the results are savory and tangy.

Get the recipe: Polenta Bake with Tomato, Feta and Mushrooms (credit:Tara Fisher)
A Mac 'n' Cheese with Some Heft (and Pep)(05 of09)
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This version of the traditional pasta-and-cheese casserole includes colorful and good-for-you broccoli florets and sun-dried tomatoes; a rich medley of cheddar, Gruyère and Gouda; and just a touch of cayenne. The grown-up additions turn a simple comfort food into a gourmet delight.

Get the recipe: Lunch Lady Doris's Spicy Mac and Cheese (credit:Thinkstock)
A Risotto with a Salad's Worth of Greens(06 of09)
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You could call it a lazy woman's risotto -- but this cheesy Italian entrée or side is a lot quicker to make and just as tasty as the classic Arborio rice dish (plus, it has a healthy dose of leafy greens). After sautéing an onion, the grains, wine and vegetable broth, you stir in 2 cups of spinach and grated Parmesan, and then transfer everything to a baking dish. Slide it into the oven, and 35 minutes later you've got a hot and bubbly meal.

Get the recipe: Spinach and Risotto Casserole (credit:Thinkstock)
The Garden Lasagna (That's So Not Garden Variety)(07 of09)
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A handful of spinach leaves does not a vegetarian lasagna make -- which is why this take, exploding with veggies, is so wonderful. It's made with two eggplants, six zucchini, five portobello mushrooms and two red onions. Plus, the recipe has an additional healthy twist, suggesting cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Get the recipe: Vegetarian Lasagna (credit:Thinkstock)
The Reason We Cannot Resist Butternut Squash and Sage(08 of09)
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Butternut squash and sage are a tried-and-true pairing; together, they deliver rich flavor that rivals that of sausage or smoked meat. This recipe has you mix roasted cubes of the winter vegetable with penne pasta and a sauce made from Fontina, blue cheese, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan. A sage-bread-crumbs topping adds delightful texture.

Get the recipe: Penne Pasta Quattro Formaggi with Butternut Squash and Sage (credit:Paige Green)
A Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Bake(09 of09)
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Okay, this last one isn't technically a casserole, but it is a one-dish meal that you bake -- and it happens to be brimming with fresh zucchini. And although it cooks in a pie dish, the assembly doesn't involve rolling out dough, since the shredded vegetables, eggs, baking mix (such as Bisquick) and cheddar cheese form the crust on their own.

Get the recipe: Savory Zucchini Pie (credit:Ron Manville)
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