060 / 75 · Beans, Vegetables and New Traditions

Zucchini Tomato and Rice Gratin

One 8×12 in (20×30 cm) dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L;4 rice-and-vegetable portions · Active 40 min · Total 1 hr 50 min

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Grated zucchini is salted, drained and squeezed before meeting freshly cooked rice and a short tomato-onion mixture. Milk, eggs and Parmesan bind the grains lightly. This is a soft gratin with browned edges rather than a crisp pie, and its leftovers follow the shorter rice-specific storage clock.

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Drawn zucchini, tomato and rice gratin with a thin golden Parmesan finish.

Remove zucchini water before assembly

Coarsely grate the prepared zucchini into a colander and toss it with the measured salt. After fifteen minutes, squeeze small handfuls firmly and discard the released liquid. There is no rinsing step to add water back. The zucchini then cooks briefly with onion so remaining loose moisture can evaporate. This preparation matters more than adding extra flour or cheese later. Very large seedy zucchini should have the watery center removed before weighing; the stated amount is usable prepared flesh.

Rice is made fresh for this pan

Cook the rice during the vegetable preparation and let it finish its covered rest. Fluff and proceed promptly into mixing, without a separate room-temperature cooling session. Freshly cooked rice gives a predictable continuous method. The first cooking time is also the reference for any leftover deadline, so note it if storing portions. This recipe does not use yesterday’s rice: adding that substitution would change the reheating history as well as the starting temperature.

A light egg mixture holds the grains

Take the vegetable pan off the heat before combining it with fresh rice and cold milk in the wide bowl. Stir briefly and check that the mixture is warm rather than hot, no hotter than 120°F (49°C), before adding beaten eggs; cold milk alone may not cool a large hot mixture enough. This short tempering step belongs to the continuous preparation, not a separate rice-storage session. Add eggs only when the dish and oven are ready, then move promptly into baking. The final casserole temperature and set center both matter. A golden rim can form while the middle still needs time. Rest briefly and serve soft spooned portions.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 5 oz zucchini, coarsely grated after trimming and removing a very seedy center (600 g prepared)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g), for draining
  • 3/4 cup dry long-grain white rice, rinsed (150 g)
  • 1 1/4 cups water (300 ml), for rice, or the packet ratio
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml), divided
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (150 g)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (6 g)
  • 10 oz ripe tomatoes, cores and watery seed pockets removed, chopped (300 g prepared)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup cold pasteurized milk (180 ml)
  • 2 large eggs, beaten in the small bowl
  • 2 oz Parmesan, finely grated (60 g), divided

Set out

Oven, 8×12 in (20×30 cm) baking dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L, Colander, Coarse grater, Clean hands or clean kitchen cloth for squeezing, Saucepan with close-fitting lid, 12-in/30-cm skillet, Large mixing bowl, Small bowl, Rimmed baking sheet, Food thermometer

Allergens

Egg, Milk. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Toss grated zucchini with salt in the colander and drain 15 minutes. Squeeze small handfuls firmly over the sink, discarding liquid. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C), grease the dish with 5 ml of the oil and place it on the rimmed sheet.
  2. Meanwhile bring rice and its 300 ml water, or the packet ratio, to a boil in the lidded saucepan. Lower heat, cover and cook 15–18 minutes or per packet until tender and water absorbed. Take off heat and leave covered 10 minutes, then fluff and use promptly while warm.
  3. Heat remaining 25 ml oil in the skillet over medium heat. Soften onion 7–9 minutes, add garlic 30 seconds, then squeezed zucchini. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring, until loose moisture evaporates. Add tomatoes, oregano and pepper and cook 4–5 minutes until no watery puddle remains. Take off heat.
  4. Combine freshly cooked rice, cooked vegetables and cold milk in the wide mixing bowl. Stir and allow only the brief tempering needed, commonly 5–10 minutes, until no hotter than 120°F (49°C), checking with the food thermometer. Do not hold for later assembly. Fold in beaten eggs and 40 g Parmesan, spread promptly in the dish and scatter remaining 20 g Parmesan. Bake 30–35 minutes until set, lightly golden, and the center and several other spots reach 165°F (74°C). Rest 5 minutes and serve four soft portions.

Squeezing is a measured ingredient-state step

The 600 g is the prepared zucchini weight before salting. Some of that weight leaves as water; do not add more zucchini afterward to restore the original number.

A useful detail

The 110-minute total includes zucchini draining, rice cooking overlapping the vegetable skillet, brief temperature-checked tempering with cold milk before eggs, prompt assembly, baking and rest. This is one continuous preparation, with no raw-egg mixture or cooked rice stored for later assembly.

Another way

  • Use 600 g prepared yellow summer squash in place of zucchini, keeping the same salt-drain-squeeze method. The fresh-rice sequence and 24-hour leftover clock do not change.

Keep it well

Because this contains rice, divide leftovers promptly into shallow portions and refrigerate as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour of cooking, at 40°F (4°C) or below; never leave out beyond 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Use within 24 hours of the rice’s original cooking. Reheat only once to 165°F (74°C), eat promptly and discard reheated leftovers. This fresh-rice base does not include pre-chilled rice or another reheating cycle. Refrigeration is the intended storage method.