AI-generated image
Budín de zapallo italiano
Baked courgette pudding
Budín de zapallo italiano: Santiago's baked courgette pudding with cheese
ChileanIn late summer, when courgettes (zapallo italiano) pile up in Santiago's ferias, home cooks turn them into budín: a soft, savoury bake bound with eggs, milk and cheese, served in squares with rice or a tomato salad for a light weekday lunch. Chileans use mild queso chanco or gouda, which is usually made with animal rennet; choose a cheese marked vegetarian if that matters to you. The big mistake is skipping the draining step: courgettes are mostly water, and a budín made with wet courgette weeps in the dish. Chef's tip: salt the grated courgette, leave it 15 minutes and squeeze it hard in a clean tea towel until it stops dripping.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb courgettescoarsely grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 oz butterplus extra for the dish
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 garlic clovecrushed
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 ⅛ oz dried breadcrumbs
- 4 oz gouda or queso chancograted; vegetarian if needed
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Toss 2 ¼ lb courgettes with 1 tsp salt in a colander and leave to drain.
15 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and butter a 20 × 25 cm baking dish.
Step 3: Melt 1 oz butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook 1 onion until soft and golden, then add 1 garlic clove for 1 minute.
9 minStep 4: Squeeze the courgette in a clean tea towel, a handful at a time, as hard as you can. You should be left with about half the volume.
Step 5: Beat 3 eggs with ¾ cup milk, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg. Stir in the courgette, onion, 2 ⅛ oz dried breadcrumbs and three quarters of 3 ⅛ oz gouda or queso chanco.
Step 6: Spread in the dish, scatter over the rest of 1 oz gouda or queso chanco and bake until set in the middle (a knife comes out clean) and golden on top.
35 minStep 7: Rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares, so it holds together.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does budín de zapallo italiano take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of courgettes?
- Cucumber, same weight (raw dishes only).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Black bean tacos with lime slaw
Proof that a meat-free taco night can be the best one. The beans are mashed with chipotle and cumin so they hold together in the tortilla, and a quick lime slaw adds crunch.
Mexican
Caramelised clay-pot tofu and mushroomsBraised tofu and mushrooms
Kho is the slow braise of the Mekong Delta: food simmered in a little clay pot (nồi đất) with dark caramel and seasoning until the sauce is sticky and the flavours go deep. This vegetarian cousin of cá kho tộ (braised fish) uses golden tofu and meaty mushrooms in place of fish, cooked in coconut water, as cooks do in the south, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Serve it bubbling in its pot with steamed rice and a sour soup or plain boiled vegetables. Chef's tip: take the caramel (nước màu) to a deep mahogany, darker than you think, just before it smokes; pale caramel only tastes sweet, while dark caramel gives the bittersweet, smoky flavour of a real kho.
Vietnamese
Cheese charlotte
Rounds of bread spread with cream cheese, soaked in egg custard and baked gently in a water bath until just set. Soft and mild, it suits babies of 8–18 months and makes a good light lunch for toddlers too. Serve warm.