Fırında yoğurtlu kabak – baked zucchini with yogurt and cheese Recipe
Fırında yoğurtlu kabak is a light casserole made from thin slices of zucchini in a yogurt-and-cheese sauce, baked until golden. In Turkish homes it often appears as a warm appetizer or a lighter dinner, especially in summer when zucchini is everywhere. The flavor is a bit like an Italian vegetable bake, but with a distinct yogurt note instead of a heavy béchamel.
This dish combines the lightness of zucchini with a tangy yogurt sauce and salty cheese, giving you all the comfort of a baked casserole without the heaviness of a cream or béchamel sauce. It’s simple, summery and full of Mediterranean character.
Chef's tips
Slice the zucchini as evenly as possible so it bakes uniformly and doesn’t turn mushy in some spots while staying firm in others. Taste your cheese before seasoning – some feta-style cheeses are very salty and you may not need to add much salt at all.
How to serve
Serve as a light main with crusty bread and a fresh salad, or as a warm side dish alongside grilled meat or fish. It also works well on a mezze-style table with other small dishes like hummus, olives and roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
- zucchini 2–3 pieces, sliced thinly - 700 g
- plain yogurt thick - 250 g
- white cheese feta-style, crumbled - 120 g
- yellow cheese grated, for sprinkling - 60 g
- eggs - 2 pieces
- garlic grated or finely chopped - 2 cloves
- dill finely chopped - 2 tablespoons
- vegetable oil for greasing the dish - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste, go easy because of the salty cheese
- black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
- sweet paprika for sprinkling on top - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a baking dish with oil.
- Wash the zucchini and slice into thin rounds (about 3–4 mm). If the skin is very tough, you can peel it partially.
- In a bowl, mix the yogurt, eggs, garlic, pepper and, if needed, a pinch of salt. Add the crumbled white cheese and dill, and gently combine.
- Arrange a layer of overlapping zucchini slices on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle very lightly with salt.
- Spread some of the yogurt-and-cheese mixture over the zucchini in a thin layer.
- Repeat layering zucchini and yogurt mixture until you use up all the ingredients. The top layer should be the yogurt mixture.
- Sprinkle the top with grated yellow cheese and sweet paprika.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden and the yogurt mixture is set (when you gently shake the dish, the center should not wobble).
- After removing from the oven, let the casserole rest for 10 minutes so it firms up slightly and is easier to cut.
- Serve warm, cut into squares or rectangles.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I like to bake this when I have a surplus of zucchini and don’t feel like making another stir-fry. The yogurt keeps the dish moist and tangy, and the golden cheese crust on top makes it feel like proper comfort food, even though it’s quite light.
