French Onion Zucchini Bake (2024)

French Onion Zucchini Bake combines the amazing flavor of caramelized onions, fresh zucchini, and piles of melty gruyere cheese for a side dish that is sure to impress! If you love French Onion, make sure to check out my homemade French Onion Soup!

French Onion Zucchini Bake

I seriously love French Onion anything. (Maybe you noticed my French Onion Soup and French Onion Chicken and French Onion Stuffed Pork Loin?) The flavor of caramelized onions just sort of speaks to me. Plus, cheese. What more is there really to talk about? Zucchini. We need to talk about that! The yellow version pictured is also known as summer squash and summertime means that we have an ample supply of it in our garden.

If you have ever grown zucchini you know that it just keeps coming, so we always have a ton of it. I thought it would be cool to combine one of my favorite summer veggies with the french onion flavors I love so much. The results: amazing!

Perfectly caramelized onions.

French Onion Zucchini Bake Recipe

First things first, let’s talk about ingredients. You will need:

• Zucchini – (Summer Squash) We obviously prefer to use our garden zucchini, but if you have to purchase at the supermarket, select medium-sized zucchini that are firm and feel heavy for their size. They should be green or yellow with shiny skin.
• Yellow Onions – There are a ton of different onions to choose from, but I stick with yellow onions because they have a signature sweetness when cooked.
• Gruyere Cheese – If you are looking to substitute this with a different cheese you want to select one that melts very easily. I would recommend a Compte’ or Jarlsberg.
• Butter – We use unsalted in this recipe because we prefer to adjust the salt level by adding kosher salt at the end.
• Worchestershire Sauce
• Beef Broth
• Granulated Sugar
• Thyme – Fresh thyme can be substituted for dried but you need to adjust the amount.
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

How to Make French Onion Zucchini Bake

The main step in this recipe that needs attention is the process of carmelizing the onions. Caramelizing onions is an amazing way to pull out the naturally sweet flavor of a very simple ingredient. Yellow onions have a natural sweetness that explodes when you slow cook them in butter or oil. The trick here is to take your time.

How to Carmelize Onions

1. Melt butter in skillet.

2. Add sliced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add salt, pepper, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and beef broth. Cook until onions are golden brown (about 12 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Finishing the Dish

1. Add the sliced zucchini and 1 cup of the cheese to the dish and stir to fully combine everything.
2. Top with the remaining cheese and transfer the pan (covered) to the oven.
3. Cook covered for 15 minutes and then remove the lid and finish cooking the last 10 minutes (or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly).
4. When the dish has finished cooking there will likely be some excess liquid at the bottom of the pan. Carefully drain this off.
5. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve!

What to Serve With French Onion Zucchini Bake

This is an amazing side dish that would work well next to chicken, pork, steak, ham, or even fish. It is light and full of sweet flavor. Some recipes that you could naturally pair this with are:

• Asparagus Stuffed Chicken
• Oven-Baked Ribs
• Marinated Steak Bites
• Pork Chops with Browned Butter
• Oven Roasted Pork

Looking for More Zucchini Recipes?

Easy Scalloped Zucchini

Butterscotch Zucchini Bars

Zucchini Brownies

Zucchini Cake

Want More French Onion Recipes?

French Onion Chicken

French Onion Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Homemade French Onion Dip

French Onion Skillet Dip

French Onion Stuffed Pork Loin

French Onion Cheesy Fries

French Onion Pork Chops

French Onion Deviled Eggs

French Onion Soup