Eat Smarter USA | Eat Healthy. Live Smarter.
Ingredients
Zucchini Noodle Cannelloni with Ricotta and Spinach
- Ingredients
- 66 ozs large Zucchini (4 large zucchini)
- 2 ozs Spinach
- 2 ozs Swiss chard
- salt
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ bunch Basil
- 16 ozs Ricotta cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ organic lemon
- peppers
- 2 tsps olive oil
- 18 ozs tomato puree
- 1 tsp Dried italian Fresh herbs
- 9 ozs Mozzarella (2 balls)
- 1 ½ ozs Parmesan
Clean the zucchini, wash and cut into thin slices. Clean spinach and chard, wash, remove coarse stems and cook in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes. Then drain, rinse with cold water, squeeze well and chop coarsely. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash basil, shake dry, pluck off leaves, set aside some for garnish, finely chop the rest.
Put ricotta in a bowl and mix with garlic, egg yolk, lemon zest, chopped basil, spinach and chard, season with salt and pepper.
Brush an ovenproof dish with 1 tsp olive oil. Season tomato puree with salt, pepper and Italian herbs and pour half into the mold. Lay out 3-4 zucchini slices at a time, overlapping on a work surface, top with 2 tablespoons ricotta-vegetable filling and roll up. Place zucchini cannelloni, seam side down, on top of sauce in mold. Spread remaining tomato puree around and on top.
Cut mozzarella into small pieces, grate Parmesan. Sprinkle the cannelloni and tomato puree with the cheese, drizzle with the remaining oil and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C / 400 ˚F for about 30-35 minutes until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned. Remove and sprinkle the remaining basil leaves over the cannelloni.
(Percentage of daily recommendation)
| Calorie | 591 cal. | (28 %) | ||
| Protein | 38 g | (39 %) | ||
| Fat | 35 g | (30 %) | ||
| Carbohydrates | 30 g | (20 %) | ||
| Sugar added | 0 g | (0 %) | ||
| Roughage | 7.8 g | (26 %) |
Healthy, because
Low-carb zucchini instead of "real" cannelloni ensures that even low-carb fans will be happy with this delicious casserole. Tomato puree provides us with lycopene, an antioxidant that protects our cells from damage, and ricotta and mozzarella not only increase the protein content of this delicious dish, but also provide plenty of bone-strengthening calcium.
Even smarter
Milk from pasture-raised cows and products made from it, such as Parmesan, ricotta and mozzarella, provide special fatty acids that are believed to have a protective function. Therefore, whenever possible, go for the organic or pasture-raised variety. For more spiciness, you can sometimes replace all or part of the ricotta with fresh goat cheese.