Zucchini Ricotta Rolls

I believe that we have established that I love zucchini. This is a fun dish that marries it with both the ricotta filling and the marinara sauce that I also love.

A much easier dish than those silly zucchini ravioli packets that have you making origami envelopes with vegetables - too fussy for even a good cook like me.

Make these, eat these, they're good!

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 medium to large zucchini
• 1/2 pound ricotta
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Locatelli or Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup lightly packed shredded baby spinach
• homemade marinara sauce or a jar of Rao's pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish.
• Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch lengthwise planks using a knife, peeler or mandoline, and set aside on a plate.
• Blend the ricotta, yolk, Parmesan, salt, pepper and spinach in a small bowl and set the bowl in front of you between the plate of zucchini slices and baking dish - they should be lined up left to right, baking dish, ricotta and zucchini slices.
• Take one of the zucchini planks and roll it up leaving about a one inch space in the center of the round.
• Without putting the zucchini roll down, take a spoonful of ricotta, let it slide from the spoon into the roll, and stand it upright in the baking dish, leaning it against the side.
• Fill each roll, standing it next to the one you just made until dish is full or you've used just about all of your zucchini or filling.
• Top each roll with the tiniest bit of the mozzarella.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes @ 350 degrees, until sauce is bubbling and top is lightly browned. NOTE Over baking turns your lovely dish brown and mushy. You want to take it from the oven when it looks like the one in my photo.