Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
• 4 small zucchinis, ends cut off (you can sub two large zucchinis)
• 1 pound(500gr) cooked ground meat or chopped meatballs
• 1/2 cup of your favorite pasta sauce
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded (about 2 cups), divided
• 15oz (425gr) container of part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Directions:
1. Thinly slice (unpeeled) zucchini length-wise into thin strips, like lasagna noodles. It’s easier to do this with a mandolin, but a large knife works just fine. (It’s OK if some are only a few inches long.)
2. Create cheese filling by combining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper.
3. Create a layer of zucchini at the bottom of your slow cooker. (It’s OK if pieces overlap.) Top zucchini with a rounded 1/2 cup of cheese filling, 1 cup meat, and 1-3 tablespoons sauce.
4. Continue layering zucchini, cheese, meat, and sauce until you only have enough zucchini left for top layer. (A 6-quart slow cooker will have 4-5 layers and a 4-quart slow cooker will have 6-8 layers.)
5. Before you add the top layer of zucchini, add whatever sauce, meat, and cheese you have left. Top with zucchini and remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Turn off slow cooker and let rest for at least 30 minutes, so juices become more set.
Nutrition:
386 calories
23.4g fat
112g protein
