What's Cookin'?

It's 4:30 p.m. Madden is starting to stir from his nap, I've finally put the never ending mountain of laundry away for the fifth time this week and I'm starving.  All I can think about is "what's for dinner?" Does that ever happen to you?  I try my hardest to meal plan on Sunday afternoons for the entire week, but sometimes by the time that day of the week rolls around, the meal that I had planned doesn't sound as appetizing as it did.

That happened to me last night.

I had planned on making grilled teriyaki chicken breasts over brown rice with a pineapple and mango salsa.  Although it sounded good, it also sounded like an awful lot of prep, and I didn't have the time want to do it...Plus it was 101 degrees here yesterday, and the thought of standing in front of a piping hot grill while it was already smoldering outside sounded miserable!

It may have been 100 degrees outside, but this little nugget loved every minute!

So I racked my brain Pinterest "Yummy" board and came across this little number from Skinny Taste.

How yummy does that look?  It's light enough for the hot summer days ahead, but filling enough that you won't be  left starving at the end of your meal.  Served with a fresh side salad, and a glass of pinot, you have yourself a yummy treat that both your tummy and your family will thank you for! Yes, even my two year old licked his plate clean on this one!! 

Ingredients:  

• 1 lb ground turkey (original recipe calls for ground beef, but you can substitute as desired)
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 16 oz part-skim ricotta
• 16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 large egg

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 20-30 minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, as the sauce should be thick.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, lightly salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, so salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well. 

In a 9x13 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all of your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil.

Bake 45 minutes covered at 375°, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

This was seriously one of the best meals I have made in quite some time!  If you try it for dinner, let me know what you think...this one is definitely going in my "keeper" recipe box!!

Until next time...