Crowd Pleasing 3 Step Zucchini Breakfast Casserole Bursting with Flavor!

The zucchini is on! And this 3 step zucchini breakfast casserole is the dish you and I need to use up some of that abundant squash! You know how it is, one after another come on this plant over night! Before the season is over you and I’ve dehydrated, pickled, sauteed, froze, or baked enough bread to feed a family of ten!

It’s exciting, but also a little overwhelming.

My purpose with this blog is to explore God’s garden and His Word with you to create recipe devotions for spiritual and physical growth. There are so many good things at our fingertips for health and wellbeing!

Whether it’s curling up with some encouraging scripture passages or growing some vegetables in our own backyard, the connection with our Creator and the outdoors is hard to match with anything else.

At the same time, gardening in the yard gives us an opportunity to soak in some much-needed sunshine to develop vitamin D!

This dish brings the backyard to the table in an easy and simple way. Here are the 3 steps:

  1. Prepare and Shred the Zucchini with your favorite spices (I use the same amount for the vegetable as I do my sausage below.)
  2. Grab your favorite spices and nitrate free sausage (I like to buy three pounds of ground turkey and add minced onions, lots of oregano, a moderate amount of coriander, pepper, and a small amount of salt to make ground sausage.

    So, just add 1/2 cup onions, 2 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp coriander, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt.

    I prepare this weekly for the two of us while I’m in the kitchen cooking something else, then let it cool and store it in the fridge until it’s ready to use for a meal.

  3. Get a 9x 13 Casserole dish ready with a tablespoon of butter. Add the spiced zucchini, sausage, and 9 eggs, top it with cheese and we’re ready to bake!

Benefits of 3 Step Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

When this casserole is baked in a 9 x 13 dish and divided into 12 servings you will receive a whopping 17 grams of protein per serving. Plus, you’ll only be consuming 3 carbohydrates per serving, which leaves us some wiggle room for some multigrain muffins to tag along and give us more fiber. That’s a great start to a healthier day.

Zucchini is also rich in antioxidants, zeaxanthin, and lutein, which are known for their role in helping to prevent macular degeneration, and cataracts. (1) Both of these carotenoids are thought to improve bone density as well. A study of Korean men and women found improved bone density in the femoral neck, total hip, and overall body with consistent intake of these antioxidants. (2)

You may also be happy to learn, a study in Brazil investigated the nutritional value of zucchini raw verses steamed. They found an increase in the antioxidant availability when the items were steamed. (3) Maybe even more interesting in this study, was how microwaved steaming increased potassium and sodium concentrations. (3)

Recipe Devotion

I love reading studies about how whole food heals and sustains us! God’s plan for our health and thriving never fails. Even when we face health challenges or chronic disease that seem too hard.

The metabolic challenges facing us and our children will partly be overcome when we learn how to manage stress, prioritize our sleep, and focus on fueling our bodies before enjoying our treats! As we see in the news frequently, the metabolic health crisis is serious. The American waist circumference is growing, cholesterol and triglycerides are out of range, while blood pressure and blood sugars are rising, too.

It’s like being surrounded by an enemy. Culturally acceptable overeating and depending on convenient food is deceptive and inescapable. Jesus reminds us in the Bible we are to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves in all things faith related, and gospel related.

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Matthew 10 ESV – The Twelve Apostles – And he called to – Bible Gateway

But I think it also applies to how we navigate this deceptive world. There are many food and environmental devices designed to distract us, while at the same time luring us to complacency and illness. Leaning into God’s inspired Word, in the Bible, is steadfast support for us spiritually.

We are called to share our hope and our testimony, with authority, just as the twelve were called to share the gospel to their brothers and sisters. The great news Jesus shares in Mathew chapter 10 is that no matter what we face, the Holy Spirit will give us the words. Even during the severest persecution, we will have the wisdom and the strength to remain faithful.

I hope it fills you with enduring hope and perseverance today as much as it does me. We are well provided for physically and spiritually, if we just slow down long enough to let taste and see the Lord is good!

Recipe for 3 Step Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

The recipe is below!

Check out my other recipes for Zucchini Veggie Burgers & Relish on the Strengthen Your Heart Blog!

3 step zucchini breakfast casserole


3 Step Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

  • 3 Cups Zucchini ((About 1 large Zucchini or 2 small shredded))
  • 1.5 Lbs. Turkey (Ground)
  • 9 Eggs
  • 2 Tbsps Spice Blend (Use your favorite sausage spice blend 9 (1 tbsp for turkey 1 tbsp for zuchinni))
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 12 ounce Bag Frozen or 1 fresh red pepper Pepper and onion mix (optional)
  • 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a tbsp of butter in a 9×13 baking dish to melt. Remove it when melted and spread it around until the edges are covered. Set it aside.

  2. Sauté the turkey in a skillet with 1 tbsp of sausage spice ( I use a tsp of each oregano, black pepper/onion powder/coriander/salt)

  3. Shred the zucchini on a plate and add another tbsp of spices (I use onion powder/1/2 tsp garlic powder/salt/pepper/oregano)

    If using the fresh red pepper chop and add here or if using the 12-ounce bag of frozen peppers add it here.

  4. Place the zucchini and cooked ground turkey into the 9×13. Add 9 eggs and stir well until well combined.

    Top with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese

  5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until browned and fully cooked.

    Top with fresh chives and serve.

    It also stores well in the fridge when cooled.


You have a wonderful day! I hope you enjoy this 3 step zucchini breakfast casserole and change it up with your favorite spices and vegetable additions! I’m always here if you’re looking for a RN Health and Wellness coach or need a speaker for your church ladies’ retreat!

References:

Abdel-Aal el-SM, Akhtar H, Zaheer K, Ali R. Dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids and their role in eye health. Nutrients. 2013 Apr 9;5(4):1169-85. doi: 10.3390/nu5041169. PMID: 23571649; PMCID: PMC3705341.

Regu GM, Kim H, Kim YJ, Paek JE, Lee G, Chang N, Kwon O. Association between Dietary Carotenoid Intake and Bone Mineral Density in Korean Adults Aged 30-75 Years Using Data from the Fourth and Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2008-2011). Nutrients. 2017 Sep 16;9(9):1025. doi: 10.3390/nu9091025. PMID: 28926945; PMCID: PMC5622785.

de Castro NT, de Alencar ER, Zandonadi RP, Han H, Raposo A, Ariza-Montes A, Araya-Castillo L, Botelho RBA. Influence of Cooking Method on the Nutritional Quality of Organic and Conventional Brazilian Vegetables: A Study on Sodium, Potassium, and Carotenoids. Foods. 2021 Jul 31;10(8):1782. doi: 10.3390/foods10081782. PMID: 34441559; PMCID: PMC8391696.