It seems like this time of year, I struggle with mixing up my meals from the usual one-pot stew. All I want to do is eat chowders and casseroles, when it really is a great time to eat healthy due to the lack of exercise I get in these fall/winter months.
My friend Brianne eats low carb, looks and feels great, and LOVES this dish. It’s a low carb zucchini ravioli, filled with fresh veggies. I paired it with my favorite wine from the local wine merchant in Callicoon (not so healthy), and it was one of the best dishes I have had in a while. I would absolutely serve this for company, or just as a date night during the week!
You will need:
2 large wide zucchinis
1 cup marinara sauce (I mixed in crumbled turkey sausage for additional flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped (plus more for garnish)
salt and pepper
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)
Cut off the ends of the zucchini and begin by using a vegetable peeler set on a wide setting to cut thick ribbons of zucchini. Lay them out on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 10 minutes and dab off any additional salt and moisture with a paper towel. This is going to draw out the moisture from your zucchini so your end product isn’t soggy.
Preheat your oven to 425 and place marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8 x11 baking dish (I added crumbled turkey sausage to this, and used a spicy arrabbiata sauce for a kick!)
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat up your olive oil. Add spinach and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and add the ricotta, parmesan cheese, and basil as well. I added pepper, but I felt that due to the parmesan, this did not need any salt.
This is where you are going to create your own ravioli by hand! Lay out 3 slices of zucchini in different directions equally spaced. Place 2 tablespoons of the ricotta spinach mixture in the middle and fold each side to seal and create ravioli pockets. Place the baking dish on the marinara sauce seam side down. This will make roughly 12 pockets.
You can (optional) place some cherry tomatoes around your pockets of raviolis in the dish. I didn’t add them because I am not big on tomatoes, but feel free to add for some extra veggies! Bake in your oven until the cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes and serve with fresh basil. If you added cherry tomatoes, set on broil for a few additional minutes so the tomatoes blister.
This isn’t the most beautiful dish I’ve ever created but it certainly will impress your guests and you won’t feel guilty while eating it! A dish I will absolutely make in the future. Next week I’ll be sharing a dish for your Thanksgiving table! XO