Crock-Pot Fresh Zucchini Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my zucchini casserole watery? ›

The zucchini MUST be salted and let to rest for 15 minutes to draw out excess water or your zucchini casserole will be watery.

As long as the dish is oven-safe, it can go into your slow cooker.

Instead of buying a separate mini slow cooker, you can place a 2-cup heat-resistant glass measuring cup inside your regular slow cooker! This trick is great for small batches of slow-cooked foods, like dips, toppings, or cooking for one.

Prop the lid up for evaporation.

While your dinner cooks, prop the lid open a bit so that moisture can escape and thicken the stew naturally without extending the cooking time too much. Skewers or chopsticks between the lid and the crock of the slow cooker work well for this.

Once sliced, zucchini slowly releases water, or "sweats", as it sits. Using a tea towel or paper towels, gently pat both sides of your zucchini dry before continuing with the recipe. This method works well for roasted zucchini, grilled zucchini, zucchini boats, and breaded zucchini that's baked or fried.

The secret to zucchini with the best flavor and texture is roasting it in a 450°F oven. Roasting zucchini at a high temperature instead of baking or sautéing helps develop browning and a slight char on the outside, which keeps it from getting soggy.

Most appliances will automatically shut off after 20 or so hours on this setting, but you shouldn't leave food in a slow cooker for an extended length of time. The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm.

Slow cookers typically cost less to run than an oven. They won't necessarily save you money compared with using an induction hob, or even a gas hob. Making exact comparisons is difficult, because there can be lots of variables, such as the type of hob and how you use it.

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. Crockpot popularized slow cookers when they launched their version in the 1970s.

Can I use a pyrex dish in a slow cooker? ›

Can you put a Pyrex dish in a slow cooker? Yes, of course. Pyrex was developed to withstand heat and to be shatter-resistant. Even better - there are commercially available slow cooker liners that are disposable after each use.

How to Make a Slow Cooker Foil Liner. Line the slow-cooker insert with a foil collar, then fit two large sheets of heavy-duty foil in the slow cooker, perpendicular to one another, with the extra foil hanging over the edges.

Mix the cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water to make a paste (called "slaking" or "making a slurry"). Whisk this paste into the hot liquid and let it simmer, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. The sauce should thicken as it cooks and it is easy to add extra cornfliur if the sauce should be thicker.

Reduce liquid when using a slow cooker

It should just cover the meat and vegetables. Don't overfill your slow cooker, or it may start leaking out the top, and the food won't cook so well.

Thicken a meat casserole the most popular way with flour.

Add some flour to your pan after you've browned the meat and before adding any liquid. This way, the flour will soak up the juices and fat in the pan. Add about one teaspoon of flour at a time until you get the right thickness.

Salting and sautéing the squash before baking helps to remove excess moisture and prevents the casserole from becoming watery. Cream cheese and sour cream lend the filling richness and tang.

Your vegetables could be to blame

According to Allrecipes, the vegetables you selected are the most common culprit for your watery casserole, due to the high percentage of moisture that some of them contain in their raw form which seeps out as they cook down in your dish.