Courgettes (zucchini) baked in a cheese sauce (kousa bi gebna) may sound like a very basic dish and yet this recipe was the surprise winner of all the food we cooked when reviewing Ghillie Başan’s The Lebanese Cookbook. Described as a typical family dish, it consists of sliced courgettes baked in cheesy egg mixture reminiscent of a quiche filling. The use of caraway is a revelation, lifting and complementing the courgettes, cheese and eggs.
Read our full review of Ghillie Başan’s The Lebanese Cookbook.
Photography from The Lebanese Cookbook
This Middle Eastern recipe works as a delicious vegetarian main dish on its own but also makes a lovely side vegetable.

Middle Eastern Courgettes Baked in a Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus a knob of butter
- 2 onions, cut in half lengthways and sliced finely with the grain
- 1-2 tsp caraway seeds
- 4-6 firm courgettes, trimmed and cut into thick slices lengthways
- 8 eggs
- 125 ml (4 fl oz) milk
- 250 g (9 oz) mixed Cheddar and Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
- ½ tsp ground paprika
- sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in the caraway seeds and then remove from the heat.
-
Place the courgette slices in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain well, pat dry and spread half the slices in the base of an ovenproof dish. Spread the onion mixture, including the oil and butter, over the top and arrange another layer of courgettes over the onions.
-
Beat the eggs with the milk and then mix in the cheese and paprika. Season generously and pour the over the courgettes. Bake the dish for 20–25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Give this a go and let us know how you like it? We’ve made it several times in the space of just a few weeks and it’s already become one of our go-to courgette recipes!
If you decide to buy this book after reading our content, please consider clicking through our affiliate link, located within the post and in the footnote below.
Kavey Eats received a review copy of The Lebanese Cookbook by Ghillie Başan from publisher Lorenz Books. Recipe published with permission. Cover and book photography provided by Lorenz. Home cooked recipe photography, Kavita Favelle.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!4 Comments to "Middle Eastern Courgettes Baked in a Cheese Sauce"
Hi Kavey,
Do you know roughly the weight of the courgettes in this recipe – ours from the garden are such very different sizes and I’m not certain what the weight of a standard courgette might be. Many thanks in advance.
Bridget
I don’t know what the author intended but I would say the ones we tend to see available in our supermarkets and therefore buy and use for the recipe are between 200-250 grams per courgette. Hope that helps!
lovely , many thanks
Pleasure, hope you like this gentle tasty dish as much as we do!