It’s that time of year when our gardens start EXPLODING and we have so many veggies we don’t know what to do! That’s where this casserole comes in. If you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with and you’re sneaking zucchini onto your friends’ porches when they aren’t home, you need this recipe.

Zucchini, tomatoes and onions are the prime veggies, but you could always add other squashes to the mix. Add in some sides of cucumber salad and diced melons, and you have a delicious meal mostly from the backyard! The best part of this meal is that you can really use anything you want in it.

Rice is a necessity, but meat is optional. If you choose meat, you can use any type. I will say that it is much more delicious with the sausage and bacon, but it would be tasty with just the rice and veggies if that’s all you want to use! My family doesn’t use the cheese because my husband is sensitive to dairy, but the cheese adds some good proteins and fats. You can totally make this dish your own and it will be sure to please the fam no matter what!

Garden Veggie Casserole

3 small or 1 medium zucchini (or other squashes – feel free to mix it up!)

2 medium beefsteak tomatoes (or lots of small tomatoes!)

1 onion

1/2 lb cooked sausage

1 cup cooked rice

6 raw slices of bacon

Garlic salt, oregano, salt + pepper

First, get your rice started. You’ll need 1/2 cup dry rice and 1 cup water in the saucepan and get it simmering. You can also get your sausage cooked in a skillet.

Once the rice is starting to get closer to ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan.

Chunk your zucchini and lay it on the bottom of the greased pan. Season with garlic salt, oregano, salt and pepper. You’ll want to sprinkle the rice over the top of this layer and season it as well.

Add layers of tomatoes, onions, and any other veggies you want to add in, seasoning each layer as you go.

Finally, layer sausage on the top of the veggie and season it if desired. Lay the raw bacon strips on top of the sausage and sprinkle with cheese if desired. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Then, remove the foil and bake for 20-30 minutes to crisp the bacon.

When the casserole is done, use some scissors to chop up the bacon into smaller bits and ENJOY! 🙂