Healthy Zucchini Squash Casserole (Vegan)
This baked zucchini squash casserole is such a simple, yet delicious vegetable side dish! It’s light and healthy, made with a dairy-free “pecan parm” instead of cheese. Recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

As a dietitian, it’s no secret that I love healthy zucchini recipes. According to my mom, zucchini was my favourite vegetable as a baby (blended, of course). I suppose not much has changed here.
If you’re a zucchini fan like me, I think you’re going to LOVE this recipe! It’s such an easy and delicious way to reap the health benefits of this nutritious vegetable.
Unlike most casserole dishes, this one feels light but is still jam-packed with nutrients. It’s made without cheese, and instead uses a plant-based pecan “parm” for a cheesy flavour.
This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, making it perfect for all sorts of dietary needs. Let’s get cooking!
PS. If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, be sure to check out my popular roundup of 20+ easy, healthy vegetable side dishes!
Ingredients Needed
This easy zucchini recipe is made with just 9 simple, healthy ingredients:
- zucchini squash (green or yellow)
- olive oil
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- raw pecans
- fresh basil
- salt
- pepper
How To Make Zucchini Squash Casserole
This zucchini squash casserole is so incredibly easy to make – I promise.
Start by slicing zucchini into 1/4-inch rounds.
Then, spread them out onto a cutting board and sprinkle with salt.
Allow the salt to pull the excess liquid of out of the zucchini by letting it sit for 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350F and pat the zucchini dry.
Place the dried zucchini rounds in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Note: if you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can play around with a combination of dried oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram, or sage. There’s no need to be too strict with the measurements here :).
Next, place the zucchini in a 9-inch casserole dish by lining up the rounds in a row.
If you want to be fancy here, you can alternate the colours of yellow and green zucchini squash (but it’s totally not necessary to do so).
Once the zucchini is in the casserole dish, pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the pecan parm by chopping up pecans finely with a sharp knife. Place the chopped pecans in a bowl and toss with nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
After 25 minutes are up, remove the zucchini from the oven and sprinkle the pecan parm mixture overtop.
Meanwhile, make the pecan parm by chopping up pecans finely with a sharp knife. Place the chopped pecans in a bowl and toss with nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
After 25 minutes are up, remove the zucchini from the oven and sprinkle the pecan parm mixture overtop.
Return the dish to the oven and allow to bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil, and serve alongside your meal. I’ve included some idea below for what to serve this recipe with.
How To Store + Reheat Casserole
While this recipe tastes best fresh out of the oven, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days.
I recommend reheating them in the oven or on the stovetop – the microwave will make them pretty soggy!
TIP: If you don’t want to reheat the leftovers – they taste great cold thrown into a salad or pasta or on top of an avocado toast!
What To Serve With Zucchini Casserole
Need some easy ideas to make this grilled zucchini a full meal? I highly recommend pairing it with a yummy protein and starch to make a nutritionally-balanced plate.
Protein ideas:
- Garlic Shrimp With Smoked Paprika & Honey
- Oven Baked Salmon With Honey, Lemon & Thyme
- 25-Minute Baked Salmon With Pistachio Pesto
- Crispy Turmeric Salmon With Yogurt
- Crispy Baked Tofu With Maple Miso Sauce
- Crispy Salmon With Coconut, Honey & Lime
- Easy Curry Tofu Scramble
- The Best Canned Salmon Burger
Starch ideas:
- How To Cook & Season Quinoa: 3 Recipes
- How To Cook Farro
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes With Chili & Paprika
- Roasted Potatoes With Za’atar & Lemon
Zucchini Nutrition + Health Benefits
This summer squash is a great source of:
- micronutrients, like vitamin A, C, K, B6, folate, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and copper
- dietary fibre, with one medium zucchini providing 2 grams or 8% of your daily fibre needs
- antioxidants, especially carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin
Pecan Nutrition + Health Benefits
One of my favourite nuts, pecans are a nutrition powerhouse. They’re a great source of:
- heart healthy unsaturated fats
- plant-based protein
- micronutrients, like vitamin A, E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc
- dietary fibre, with a 1-ounce or 28-gram serving providing 10% of your daily fibre needs
Nutritional Yeast Health Benefits
Nutritional yeast not only imparts a delicious “cheesy” flavour to meals, it’s also jam-packed with a ton of micronutrients. These include:
- B-vitamins, like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, and B12
- trace minerals, like zinc, selenium, and manganese
More Healthy Zucchini Recipes
- Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese, Basil & Honey
- Healthy Zucchini Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Easy Roasted Zucchini With Parmesan & Basil
- Pan Seared Scallops & Zucchini Noodle Pasta
- Pasta With Veggies, Zoodles, Spinach & Garlic Prawns
Did you give this Zucchini Squash Casserole a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Healthy Zucchini Squash Casserole (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini squash (green or yellow)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt + pepper
- Approx. 5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Pecan Parm:
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt + pepper
Instructions
- Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch rounds. Then, spread rounds out on a cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Allow the salt to pull the excess liquid of out of the zucchini by letting it sit for 15 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and pat the zucchini dry.
- Place the dried zucchini rounds in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Next, place the zucchini in a 9-inch casserole dish by lining up the rounds in a row. If you want to be fancy here, you can alternate the colours of yellow and green zucchini squash (but it's totally not necessary to do so).
- Once the zucchini is in the casserole dish, pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the pecan parm by chopping up pecans finely with a sharp knife. Place the chopped pecans in a bowl and toss with nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- After 25 minutes are up, remove the zucchini from the oven and sprinkle the pecan parm mixture overtop. Return the dish to the oven and allow to bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil, and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
14 Comments on “Healthy Zucchini Squash Casserole (Vegan)”
Just amazing! I’ll repeat definitely.
Hi Viviane – yay I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Simple to make yet so healthy! The perfect side dish to compliment a variety of proteins/ roasted veg. I will definitely be making this one again (soon!).
Thank you so much for sharing, Bridgit!! So happy to hear you enjoyed this one 🙂
Very good! Will Definitely make again!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Cyndy!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience 🙂
Have you tried this with any other nuts? Maybe almonds or cashews or pine nuts? My family doesn’t like pecans but I’d love to try this!
Hi Erin! I haven’t personally tried it with other nuts, but it should work with ones like almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts. It will change the flavour a bit, but those all taste great toasted too 🙂
The link for this recipe was given to me by my Naturopath because I need to incorporate more vegetables in my diet. Not being a big vegetable eater, I had no idea that vegetables could taste so good! This recipe is delicious. I love the cheesy flavour from the nutritional yeast and it’s not dry because of the olive oil! Thanks for sharing:)
Hi Risa! This comment makes me so happy to read! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’m so glad your naturopath shared it with you and am soo happy to hear you enjoyed it. Hopefully it’s inspired you to give some more veggie dishes a try!! Most of the recipes on my website are very vegetable-forward if you want to poke around for more inspiration 🙂
So delicious! I slowly savored this delightful creation.
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Julia! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one 🙂
This was easy and delicious. I replaced the usual potato dish with this recipe and did not miss potatoes. Also, I used pine nuts since I didn’t have pecans. So good, and I “felt” healthy eating it. 🙂
Hi Donna! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this one!! Love the pine nut swap. Best part is that you felt good eating it, too 🙂 thanks again!!