Zucchini Sausage Bake

I always say that I don't like Italian but what I don't really like is pasta. There just isn't any flavor in it to me so I'll usually substitute pasta for some type of vegetable. Zucchini and broccoli are my personal favorites and most of time I'll just saute some zucchini with tomato sauce. While I like it, it can be a little too light of a dish when I'm looking for a comfort classic. My zucchini sausage bake is a play on lasagna and baked ziti and I couldn't even tell that there wasn't any pasta in the dish. Plus without the extra calories of the pasta removed I can enjoy an even bigger slice!

Zucchini Sausage Bake
2 Large Zucchini
2 Mild Turkey Sausage Links
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped
2 1/4 Cups Pasta Sauce
1 Cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Slice the zucchini in small rounds, about 1/4 inch thick. Lay the rounds on a paper towel covered cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt to extract some of the water. Let these sit while you prepare the sauce and cheese filling. 

For the meat sauce, remove the sausage from the casing and cook in a small pot until browned. Add in the fresh basil and red pepper flakes and cook until the meat starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add in 2 cups of pasta sauce, scrapping the pot to remove the brown bits. Let the sauce reduce a little, about 5-7 minutes. Set Aside. 

For the cheese filling combine, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg in a large bowl. Stir to combine and add in a pinch of salt and pepper. Set Aside. 

When you're ready to assemble the zucchini sausage bake, preheat your oven to 350 Degrees. Blot the zucchini to remove any excess water. Place 1/4 cup pasta sauce into a 9x9 baking dish. Place zucchini rounds into the dish to cover the bottom. You may need to cut some of the rounds in half. Next spread some of the cheese filling over the rounds, top with more zucchini rounds and then half of the meat sauce. Layer the zucchini, cheese and meat sauce one more time until the meat sauce is left on top. I had some leftover cheese so I spread that on top of the meat sauce. Sprinkle the top with some extra mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let the bake sit for about 10 minutes before serving.