I have always been a fan of casseroles; one hearty dish and you’re good to go! One of my faves is a zucchini bechamel that my mom used to make growing up. This is a classic Egyptian casserole recipe with basically four ingredients: zucchini, ground beef, mozzarella cheese (optional), and bechamel sauce (white sauce made of roux and milk). Simple and yummy! Although this is an Egyptian dish, I think it’s origins are actually French. Bechamel is one of the most basic French sauces; my hunch is that a version of this zucchini bechamel was first introduced to Egyptian cooks during the French occupation of Egypt from 1789 to 1801. So I guess today’s post celebrates flavors from two Mediterranean countries; here is to France and Egypt! Before we dig in, I want to thank my friend Wendy for gifting me some giant zucchini from her own home garden. My dish is that much sweeter!
Here is how I made it:
Set the oven to 450F. I sliced my zucchini in 1/2-inch rounds. Mine was a giant zucchini, you may use eight store-bought medium zucchini; you can choose to slice lengthwise or in rounds. I oiled some large baking sheets; placed my zucchini in one layer; seasoned with salt and topped with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Once oven was ready, I inserted my zucchini to roast for 15 to 18 minutes or until nicely tender and slightly golden. Do check on your zucchini regularly; and turn them over midway through. Once I removed zucchini from oven, I lowered temp to 350F.
While zucchini was roasting, I proceeded to brown the ground beef in a little olive oil with one small minced onion, allspice, ground cardamom, salt and pepper. Be sure to cook the meat all the way through, it should be nicely browned. I proceeded to make the bechamel sauce. First, I heated 1/2 cup olive oil and then added about six tbsp of all-purpose flour. Stirred together on medium-low for about five minutes until flour was golden. Then increasing heat to medium, I added my first cup of room-temperature milk and began to whisk. Continued to add the remaining three cups of milk, one-at- a-time, and whisked until smooth. Added in salt and nutmeg, and continued to cook for another 7 minutes or so (still watching and whisking as needed). Removed from heat and let sit briefly to thicken into a nice creamy bechamel.
A cast iron skillet or an oven-safe baking dish are good options to assemble the zucchini bechamel casserole (could also do individual-sized ramekins if you prefer). I oiled my cast iron skillet and added a bottom layer of meat. Then I added the roasted zucchini, and layered the remainder of the meat and one cup of mozzarella cheese on top.
Finally, I topped the casserole with the bechamel sauce and evenly distributed.
My mom and many other great cooks would typically place a zucchini layer on the bottom, then the meat layer, then more zucchini, cheese and bechamel sauce. I found that since the zucchini has been nicely roasted, I preferred to “protect” it from dissolving, so to speak, in the bottom of the hot skillet. Once assembled, I placed my casserole in the middle rack of my now 350F oven. Baked for 40-45 minutes, or until the top bechamel layer is golden brown. I let zucchini bechamel casserole sit for five minutes before serving. Delicious! Consider serving with side salads like our simple Mediterranean Salad or Tabouli.
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