Author Notes
My best friend has this favorite dish from a restaurant we frequent near her home... its an appetizer of rolled zucchini stuffed with a borsin cheese and smothered with marinara sauce and melted parmesan. I wanted to make an adaptation of that dish to enjoy at home... something where the cheese was more of the star. (aren't all vegetables better when smothered in cheese?) I had ricotta sitting in the fridge from some gnocchi I made last week, and thought that a spin off of lasagna and this stuffed zucchini appetizer would be a great side dish. —SimplySarah
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Ingredients
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3/4 cup
ricotta, if using fresh drain overnight
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2 ounces
assiago cheese, shredded
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1/4 teaspoon
dried oregano
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1/2 teaspoon
onion powder
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1/2 teaspoon
garlic powder
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1/4 teaspoon
dried basil
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salt and pepper to taste
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4
small zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces, lengthwise
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3/4 cup
your favorite marinara sauce
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1 ounce
finely shredded parmasen cheese
Directions
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Heat oven to 400 degrees
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Mix the ricotta cheese with the dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and the assiago cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Season zucchini with salt and pepper. Gently sear in a non stick pan for 2-3 minutes. If you have a grill pan, this would be good to use. You want to soften the zucchini slightly so you can fit it into you dish.
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Spread a layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. The recipe will fill a 4"x7" dish. Spread a layer of the lightly seared zucchini across the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture on top of the zucchini and top that with another layer of zucchini.
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Spread 2-3 tablespoons of sauce across the zucchini layer, top with the remainder of the cheese and the last of the zucchini.
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Top with a layer of marinara sauce. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
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Remove the foil and top with the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted and everything is bubbling.
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Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes for ease in serving.
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