Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat of preference

1 lb of fresh mushrooms

2 jars of your favorite brand spaghetti sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

2-3 zucchinis - sliced thin lengthwise

3 cups ricotta cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (stay away from fake cheese, it'll make your lasagna oily)

2 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan

Salt & pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes, if you want to try it spicy

Directions:

Mix ricotta, mozzarella and eggs in a bowl. Set aside.

To speed up the cooking process and soften the zucchini, I boiled the sliced pieces for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Heat up some oil and soften onions.  Add some Italian seasoning.

Cook & season ground meat in saucepan. Add mushrooms before the meat browns. Cook together and drain any excess fat. Stir in sauce and tomatoes.

Spread meat sauce at bottom of crockpot.

Top with zucchini layer, then spread cheese mixture on top.

Repeat layers and top with Parmesan.

Leave in crockpot on high for a couple of hours. Lasagna is best made the day before so everything has a chance to set.

Easy Zucchini Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

Zucchini - sliced into disks

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese - shredded

Directions:

Spray cooking spray on cookie sheet. Arrange sliced zucchini on the cookie sheet.

Spoon pizza sauce on each piece of zucchini.  

Add mozzarella on top and put in oven.

***Toaster Oven Instructions***

I used my toaster oven, which I preheated to 400 degrees. When I saw the cheese started melting, I lowered the heat to 350-300, to cook the zucchini without burning the cheese. I just kept an eye on them and pulled out when the sauce looked like it dried up a bit.

Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Shells

I love to cook and I was looking for something to make for my boyfriend for our regular Thursday night dinner dates! I came across a recipe for stuffed shells and I was instantly inspired, but, as usual, I had to revise to my taste...so here is my version.

Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 box of jumbo shells

2 lbs Italian sausage (out of casing)

1 package baby bellas

12 oz spinach

20 oz ricotta cheese

10 oz fresh grated Parmesan

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 can diced tomatoes

2 jar marinara sauce

Onion

Garlic

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper

Pastry filling bag

Directions:

Cook jumbo shells as directed, drain in cold water and set aside.

Heat up some olive oil and soften as much onion and garlic. Brown your sausage with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Add sliced mushrooms - break up a bit as you mix and soften.

Add spinach and cook together.

Drain sausage mixture and set aside to cool down a bit.

Pour half of your jar of pasta sauce in your baking dish - enough to cover the bottom.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly whip up the eggs add the ricotta cheese,most of the parmesan (same some for topping), and the bread crumbs.  Mix in the sausage, mushroom & spinach mixture - thoroughly mix together.  Put the filling in the pastry bag, fill the shells and place filled shells in the baking dish.

Top your tray full of shells with the diced tomatoes and the rest of the pasta sauce and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.  

Remove and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.