Vegetarian zucchini “pasta” bake
This vegetarian low carb “pasta” bake is as warm and comforting as a traditional baked macaroni and cheese recipe without any of the guilt. It does take a bit of planning but at the end of the day - it was MORE than worth it. HOLY MOLY. We baked this in a large cast iron skillet to give it enough exposed surface so that the zucchini was able to cook evenly. We paired our pasta bake with a tomatillo sauce instead of a traditional red sauce (recipe coming soon) which gave the bake a hint of tartness that worked well with the zucchini.
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 large zucchini
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup panko bread crumbs tossed with enough olive oil to make a paste
1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Sprialize the zucchini the day before you want to make this recipe and wrap in paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This allows the zucchini to dry out so that when it is cooked it doesn’t throw off too much water and maintains its noodle shape.
When you are ready to prepare the dish preheat the oven to 350 degrees and saute the onion and garlic in the cast iron skillet and cook until just softened. Add the zucchini noodles and toss. Add the pasta sauce and toss again. Place half the cheese in the zucchini mixture and combine. Top the zucchini with the remaining cheese and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and zucchini just cooked. Put the broiler on low. Remove from the oven and top with bread crumb mixture and place under the broiler until bread crumbs are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes. Push the zucchini into the middle of the pan while it cools (this allows the shape to hold). Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
