Healthy Halloween Fare
2020 has been a doozy of a year, no matter who you are or where you live. Being that Halloween this year is on a Saturday, will have a full moon AND it is the night we gain an hour for Daylight Saving time, I am anticipating it could be a strange night.
Most neighborhoods around here plan on carrying on with trick-or-treating, with a few adjustments. We will be putting candy in individual bags, and handing them out at the end of our driveways, rather than approaching each threshold. So, all the little (and not so little) ghosts and goblins with still get plenty of sugar this year.
Knowing you will be eating lots of junk that night makes you want a healthy dinner before you head out. Today’s recipe is just perfect for such a night. I have even given it a creepy name to suit the mood.
Zucchini Roll Ups in a Bloodbath is a healthy, vegetarian meal that is simple, yet satisfying, giving you just enough energy to celebrate Halloween. All you need are a couple of zucchini, some cheese and your favorite marinara sauce.
The easiest way to cut the zucchini thin enough for the recipe is to use a mandolin. If you have been following me, you know I have a love/hate relationship with this particular kitchen tool. This tool uses extremely sharp blades to cut veggies razor thin. If you are not careful, you could have your own real life, gory Halloween scene suddenly. But used safely, a mandolin will give you thin, flexible slices of zucchini that will roll beautifully.
After you slice them up nicely, lay out the zucchini and sprinkle with salt to sweat out extra moisture. While they are resting, mix up your cheesy filling with ricotta, shredded Parmesan, an egg and some basil. If you are lucky enough to still have some fresh basil hanging around, you can use that, but freeze dried basil is great in this recipe, too.
Once your zucchini strips are done sweating, all you do is spread some of the cheesy mixture along each slice, sprinkle with a bit of mozzarella and roll them up.
Spread your favorite jarred marinara sauce in the bottom of an oven safe skillet, such as cast iron. Line up those little zucchini rolls like veggie soldiers, top with more sauce and some more mozzarella cheese and bake. That’s it. Easy peasy, yummy cheesy.
Serve the roll ups with some delicious crusty bread and you have a deliciously creepy meal. You can even dress up your roll ups to look like little monsters, if you want to add some fun.
I got this idea originally from www.damndelicous.com. She adds sausage to her roll ups to add more flavor and protein. So, feel free to add meat if you wish. These are pretty adaptable.
Give this recipe a try and I am certain it will become part of your favorite meal rotation.
Have a happy Halloween, stay safe, and don’t forget to eat your veggies.
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AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginnerWash the zucchini and cut off the ends.
Using a mandolin, carefully slice the zucchini lengthwise.
Lay the zucchini slices out on baking pans lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides. Allow to rest for 15 minutes to sweat out extra moisture.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil and some salt and pepper. Blend until well combined. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Pour 1 cup of marinara into the bottom of an oven safe skillet and spread evenly.
Press another layer of paper towels on top of the zucchini to remove the moisture, and spread approximately 1 tbsp ricotta mix along each slice, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp mozzarella and roll up each slice. Place them standing up in the skillet, like little zucchini soldiers.
Spoon the remaining 1 cup of marinara on top of the zucchini rolls and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Place the skillet in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm with some nice crusty bread.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the zucchini and cut off the ends.
Using a mandolin, carefully slice the zucchini lengthwise.
Lay the zucchini slices out on baking pans lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides. Allow to rest for 15 minutes to sweat out extra moisture.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil and some salt and pepper. Blend until well combined. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Pour 1 cup of marinara into the bottom of an oven safe skillet and spread evenly.
Press another layer of paper towels on top of the zucchini to remove the moisture, and spread approximately 1 tbsp ricotta mix along each slice, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp mozzarella and roll up each slice. Place them standing up in the skillet, like little zucchini soldiers.
Spoon the remaining 1 cup of marinara on top of the zucchini rolls and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Place the skillet in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm with some nice crusty bread.
