Cheesy Baked Zucchini Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• Zucchini

  Summer squash, includes skin, raw

  6 medium or 1.18kg

• Salt

  Table

  1 tbsp or 18g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Italian sausage

  Pork, raw

  8 oz or 227g

• Onions

  Raw

  1 ½ cup, chopped or 240g

• Garlic

  Raw

  3 cloves, minced or 9g

• Tomatoes

  Crushed, canned

  1 can (15 oz) or 425g

• Basil

  Fresh

  ½ cup leaves, whole or 12g

• Ricotta cheese

  Part skim milk

  ¾ cup or 186g

• Mozzarella cheese

  Part skim milk

  2 cup, shredded or 224g

• Parmesan cheese

  Grated

  ½ cup or 50g

Directions

1. Using a spiralizer, use the zucchini to make zucchini noodles (zoodles) with the device, following manufacturer's directions. You should have a generous 8 cups of zucchini noodles. Alternatively, slices zucchini very thin. Place in a colander over a bowl. Snip zucchini noodles with scissors here and there to keep them from tangling too much. Toss the zoodles with salt. Let the zoodles drain of excess moisture while you make the sauce.
2. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil. Break up the Italian sausage into small clumps in the pan (remove from casings if you did not buy ground sausage). Heat on medium heat and gently cook the sausage until it is just cooked through and lightly browned. Remove to a bowl. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of rendered fat.
3. In the same pan, add the chopped onion. Cook until softened and lightly colored, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more. Add the canned crushed tomatoes and cooked sausage to the pot with the onions. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook for 5 to 6 additional minutes.
4. Stir in thinly sliced basil and salt to taste.
5. While the sauce is simmering, use a clean dish towel (or several paper towels) to squeeze more moisture out of the zucchini noodles.
6. Add the zucchini noodles to the pot with the tomato sausage sauce. Gently stir to combine so that all of the noodles are coated with sauce. Transfer into an oiled 8x13 casserole dish and spread into an even layer.
7. Arrange the ricotta in clumps on the casserole. Press the ricotta into the zucchini noodles to penetrate the casserole a bit. Mix the grated mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese together and sprinkle over the top in an even layer. Bake at 350°F, uncovered, for 35 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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