It’s very common for many small homesteaders, farmers, or gardeners to find themselves with too many zucchini mid-late summer. This delicious, cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie is an incredibly delicious way to use up that excess zucchini by turning it into a main dish meal. It is one of my absolute favorite meals of summertime, and I think your family will love it too!
Ah, zucchini. It’s a wonderfully productive, easy to grow plant that often gives more than we bargained for. If you find yourself with too many zucchini, you’re not alone! But instead of throwing extras to the pigs and chickens (which there is absolutely no shame in at all- it’s free feed for your livestock!), consider transforming your zucchini into a delicious main dish meal to feed your family.
This Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie Is:
- Cheesy and gooey
- Flavored with basil and garlic
- Completely from scratch
- Ready in about 45 minutes
- An excellent way to use up too many zucchini from your garden
Basic Ingredients to Use for Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie
This pie comes together with just a few basic ingredients that you probably already have around your homestead or home. No need to run to the store for some crazy ingredient!
For the Crust:
- Water
- Active Dry Yeast: Instant yeast will work, too.
- Sugar: Just a little sweetness
- Butter: This is where all of the flavor is!
- Egg: To hold it all together and provide flavor
- Salt: To add some flavor
- Flour: This is the structure of the dough.
For the Cheesy Pie Filling:
- 6-8 cups of zucchini: I told you it would help if you have too many zucchini! This is about 2 medium sized zucchini or 1 large zucchini.
- Butter and Salt: This adds a savory, delightful flavor
- Onion, Garlic, and Basil: This adds hints of delicious Italian seasoning
- Eggs: To hold it all together
- Mustard: This adds a tangy, delicious flavor to the Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie
- Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese: Of course, this is where the gooey delicious flavor comes from!
Overview: How to Make Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie
This dinner is easy to throw together and can be done mostly by just using a few dishes!
- Create the dough crust. Mix the dough ingredients together to form a soft, buttery dough.
- Let the dough rest. Letting the dough rest gives it a chance for the yeast to work and for it to soften.
- Create the pie filling. Sauté the onions, zucchini, basil, salt and garlic powder together just until the zucchini softens (about 10 minutes). You’ll want the liquid to be enough to keep moisture in the pan, but not so much that it pools. Remove the lid as necessary as you cook to remove excess water. Next, add the beaten eggs and the cheese to the pan, mixing it all together.
- Prepare the crust. Roll out the crust to fit a 9″ to 10″ pie pan, trimming and rolling the edges once it’s in the greased pan. Slather the crust with mustard, making sure to cover every inch!
- Bake the Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the center has set.
- Allow the Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie to rest. After removing it from the oven, give it a few minutes to rest and set as it cools down. Then it’s time to enjoy!
Cheesy Italian Zucchini Pie
This cheesy, delicious, and filling meal is a great way to use up too many zucchini from your garden! You'll be making this wonderful summer dish again and again, and you'll definitely miss it once all of those zucchinis are gone!
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 T. active dry yeast
- 1/2 T. sugar
- 1/2 stick of butter (4 T. butter), softened
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- For the Pie:
- 6-8 cups sliced zucchini (about 3 medium (12 inch) or 1 very large)
- 2 T. butter
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 small/medium onion, diced
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 tsp. dried basil (fresh works too)
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder (can substitute 1-2 cloves fresh)
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 T. mustard
- Parmesan Cheese (as desired)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Start by creating the dough crust. In a large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup water and yeast, allowing the yeast to bloom.
- Add in sugar, butter, egg, salt.
- Add flour, one cup at a time. Mix using a rubber spatula until the dough becomes too thick, then use your hands and gently knead it into a soft ball. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky and sticks to your hands.
- Let the dough rest while you begin the filling.
- Add butter to a large frying pan and turn onto medium heat. Add the zucchini, onions, basil, salt and garlic powder.
- Cover, stirring occasionally, just until the zucchini softens (about 10 minutes). If the zucchini begins to become really watery, remove the cover and allow excess water to cook off. You want just enough liquid that it keeps the zucchini cooking without burning, but not so much that it pools up.
- Next, add the beaten eggs and the mozzarella cheese to the pan, creating a zucchini-egg-cheese mixture. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Return to your dough that has been resting. Roll the dough out into a circle to fill a 9" to 10" pie pan.
- Grease the pie pan, then place dough inside. Trim the dough and roll the edges as you would a pie or pizza crust. Poke the crust several times with a fork.
- Slather the crust with mustard, making sure to cover every inch!
- Pour the zucchini/egg/cheese mixture into the crust. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to taste.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the center has set.
- After removing it from the oven, give it a few minutes to rest and set as it cools down. Then it's time to enjoy!
Notes
- As you cook the zucchini for the pie filling on the stovetop, be sure not to overcook it. Zucchini can turn into mush very quickly! It will have a chance to soften again in the oven, so keep that in mind as you cook it.
- If you'd like more meat in this dish, Italian Sausage compliments the dish nicely.
- Excess dough doesn't have to be wasted! You can cut it into triangles, rolling from the large end to the small end, and create crescent rolls! Bake for 10 minutes next to the zucchini pie as it bakes.
Looking for More Recipes?
Try some of these other from scratch recipes to use up food from your homestead.
- HOMEMADE CAST IRON CHICKEN FAJITAS
- GARLIC SCAPE PESTO PIZZA
- CREAMY POTATO BACON CORN CHOWDER
- More on Eating from the Homestead
Pin this Post on Pinterest!
Be sure to keep this recipe handy so you’re ready when you have too many zucchini on hand!
Could this be made crustless?
I’ve never tried that. I don’t think it would be thick enough to work without a crust. If you try it, let me know!
This is super yummy! I substituted gluten free flour for the crust. I also forgot to add the whisked eggs to the zucchini mixture. It still turned out delicious and set perfectly. Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely be make this over and over again.
I’m so glad you liked it!