Guilt-Free Zucchini Ravioli

This may not be my prettiest dish, but it is a sure-fire way to satisfy your cheesy pasta craving, while actually filling you with nutritious veggies!

Ingredients:

1-2 zucchinis (depending on size)

1 small onion, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped (optional)

1 egg

3/4 cup ricotta (I used skim)

1 tbsp Parmesan plus extra for sprinkling

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp thyme

Black pepper to taste

1/2 cup mozzarella

Marinara sauce

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a frying pan, sauté the onions in a little olive oil until soft and starting to brown. Add in the mushrooms and garlic, sauté until all the moisture is released from the mushrooms and it evaporates. Remove into a bowl and set aside.

To prepare zucchinis: cut off the end of the zucchini. Using a peeler, peel along the length to make thin strips to act as our pasta.

Blend the mushrooms and onions with an immersion blender, add the egg, ricotta and Parmesan, with the red pepper, black pepper and thyme. Mix.

Line the bottom of your baking dish with marinara.

To assemble: line two overlapping strips of zucchini on a cutting board, and then place two more perpendicular to the first set. Place a heaping tbsp of the ricotta mixture in the middle, where the two intersect.

Cover the ricotta with the flaps of zucchini until you have a zucchini ravioli pocket.

Place each ravioli in the baking dish, top with a little extra marinara, a sprinkle of mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!!

Warning: zucchini does release a bit of liquid when it gets warm. There isn’t much you can do to prevent this but it shouldn’t impact the flavor.