Easy to throw together, quick in the oven, gone in a flash. This rice, zucchini, and smoked sausage bake is the kind of weeknight hero that asks for very little and pays you back with a golden, cheesy top and a cozy, savory middle. Zucchini keeps it tender and juicy, rice does the heavy lifting, and the sausage brings that salty-smoky thing everyone reaches for first.
What you need
- Long-grain rice - 150 g
- Young zucchini - 200 g
- Cooked-smoked sausage - 150 g
- Eggs - 2
- Milk - 100 ml
- Hard cheese - 80 g
- Yellow onion - 1 small (about 80 g)
- Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
- Salt - to taste
- Ground black pepper - a pinch
- Fresh herbs (dill or parsley) - a few sprigs for serving
How to make it
Step 1: Rinse the rice in cold water several times. Boil it until just shy of tender, about 7-8 minutes. Drain well and let it cool a bit so it does not steam the rest of the mix into mush.
Step 2: Prep the produce. Wash the zucchini, and if the skin or seeds look tough, strip them out. Dice the zucchini into small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion. Cut the sausage into small cubes or thin sticks.
Step 3: Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Soften the onion until translucent. Add the zucchini and cook 5-7 minutes until tender but still holding its shape. Stir in the sausage, mix, and take the pan off the heat.
Step 4: In a large bowl, combine the par-cooked rice with the warm zucchini-onion-sausage mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt, and black pepper. Pour this over the rice and fold gently until everything is evenly coated.
Step 5: Lightly grease a baking dish. Spread the mixture in an even layer. Grate the hard cheese on the large holes and shower it over the top.
Step 6: Bake at 180°C for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese turns golden and the edges look set. Let the bake rest 5-10 minutes so it slices neatly and stays together on the plate.
Serve it right
Serve warm, topped with chopped dill or parsley. It plays very nicely with a spoon of sour cream and a light vegetable salad. Simple. Satisfying. Family-pleasing without the drama.