ZUCCHINI ROLLATINI

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Zucchini Rollatini is a delicious, cheesy, veggie-loaded dish! Made with strips of grilled zucchini stuffed with a basil-cheese filling, then rolled and topped with marinara, mozzarella and baked in the oven until the cheese is hot and melted.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large (14 oz each) zucchini, cut lengthwise into 12 (1/4-inch thick) slices
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh black pepper, to taste
1 cup quick marinara sauce
1 large egg
2/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese (I like Polly-O)
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded mozzarella (I like Polly-O)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Cut the zucchini lengthwise, into 1/4-inch thick slices until you have a total of 12 slices about the same size. It’s easiest to do this with a mandolin. My mandolin is from OXO.
Season both sides of the zucchini with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, then grill on a grill pan over high heat to help dry out the zucchini, until pliable and grill marks form, but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes on each side.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg then mix together with ricotta, Pecorino Romano, basil, garlic, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
Spread the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each) evenly onto each zucchini slice, spreading to cover.
Roll up slices and arrange them each seam side down in the prepared dish. Top each with 1 tbsp marinara sauce and 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese and tightly cover with foil.
Bake 20 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and melted.