Have too much zucchini from your garden? Here’s a delicious recipe that, in my opinion, tastes better than the noodle version. For those of you that can’t have gluten, it’s a perfect alternative.
2 to 4 zucchini (about 2 pounds) room temperature
2 Tablespoons of organic coconut oil warmed to liquid
1 teaspoon sea salt divided
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
1 pound ground beef
2 cups spaghetti sauce
16 ounces quality ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh basic
2 egg yolks
¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
Trim ends off zucchini and cut in ¼ inch slices lengthwise (I use a mandolin – quicker and easier). Toss zucchini slices with coconut oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper until well coated. Turn broiler on high and lay out zucchini in single layer on a large cookie sheet. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side depending on how hot your broiler is. You will probably have to two cookie sheets worth of broiled zucchini. Zucchini should be fork tender, but not browned. Turn the oven on bake at 375 degrees. While the zucchini is broiling cook ground beef and prepare ricotta mixture. After ground beef is cooked add 2 cups of spaghetti sauce. I use homemade sauce with fresh herbs that I have frozen in batches. Add ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Set aside. Add ricotta, basil, egg yolks, parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to a food processor and process. Cover the bottom layer of a 13×9 inch cake pan with a single layer of cooked zucchini and spread with cheese mixture. Add another layer of zucchini and spread with ground beef. Cover with sliced mozzarella and bake for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees until cheese is bubbly.
