Zippy zucchini bake is the egg casserole that works for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. Zucchini, poblano peppers, and onion sauté with garlicky sofrito and ground sausage, then bake in a golden blanket of eight eggs until set. It feeds a crowd and keeps in the fridge for a week of easy meals.
Zippy Zucchini Bake
This versatile Zippy Zucchini Bake can be served at breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner and is a great way of incorporating zucchini and other vegetables into a meal! It’s super easy to make this dish ahead of time, and it can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. The poblano peppers, also referred to as ancho chilies when dried, used in this recipe are mild and very tolerable, and can be swapped out for jalapeños or serrano peppers, if you prefer to turn up the heat!
Serves 6–8
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
2 zucchini, sliced into 1⁄4" rounds
3 tablespoons (45 ml) sofrito
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups (480 ml) ground sausage, cooked
1 teaspoon (5 ml) chili powder
1⁄2 teaspoon (10 ml) ground coriander
8 large eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In a large oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and poblano peppers and sauté for 5–7 minutes, until softened. Turn heat down slightly and add zucchini, sofrito, garlic, cooked sausage, chili powder, and coriander. Stir together and sauté for another 5 minutes, so flavors can blend.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture to the skillet and stir so all ingredients are incorporated.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until eggs are set and the top starts to turn gold. If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, transfer all ingredients to a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for the same amount of time.
Pro Tips
- Sauté the onion and poblano peppers a full 5–7 minutes until softened before the zucchini joins — layered cooking is what builds the flavor in a bake like this.
- Cook the sausage before it goes in the skillet; draining off its rendered fat keeps the bake from turning greasy.
- No oven-proof skillet? Transfer everything to a lightly oiled baking dish and bake the same 35–45 minutes until the eggs are set and the top turns gold.
- Poblanos are mild and sweet; swap in jalapeños or serranos if you want to turn up the heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make zippy zucchini bake ahead?
Yes — it's designed for it. Bake it, refrigerate, and rewarm slices as needed; it keeps about a week and is great cold too.
Can I use a different ground meat?
Any cooked ground meat works — mild or spicy sausage, ground beef, or turkey all play well with the poblano and sofrito.
Is this bake paleo?
Yes — eggs, vegetables, and sausage, with no bread, cheese, or flour anywhere in the skillet.
How spicy is it?
Poblano peppers are gentle, so this is a mild, family-friendly bake. Add chili powder to taste for extra warmth.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and poblano peppers and sauté for 5–7 minutes, until softened.
- Turn heat down slightly and add zucchini, sofrito, garlic, cooked sausage, chili powder, and coriander.
- Stir together and sauté for another 5 minutes, so flavors can blend.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
- Add egg mixture to the skillet and stir so all ingredients are incorporated.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until eggs are set and the top starts to turn gold. If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, transfer all ingredients to a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for the same amount of time.
