Zucchini Pasta Bake Recipes

ZUCCHINI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Use a vegetable peeler to remove long strips of the zucchini lengthwise using a peeler and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels; you should have about 32 strips of zucchini. Season the zucchini with salt and set aside.
• Combine the ricotta, garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan, provolone, lemon zest and juice, thyme, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup of the parsley and freshly ground pepper to taste in a medium bowl and mix with a rubber spatula or large spoon.
• Connect two slices of zucchini lengthwise end to end, overlapping them slightly. Place a lasagna noodle on top of one end of the zucchini. Spread 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture onto the noodle. Starting at one end, roll the noodle up, tucking in the remaining zucchini around the noodle to seal it. Repeat with remaining zucchini, noodles and cheese mixture.
• Pour 1 cup tomato sauce over the bottom of a large high-sided ovenproof skillet. Lay the pasta and zucchini bundles on top of the sauce. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and bake until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Top with remaining 1/4 cup parsley and serve immediately. Enjoy!

ZUCCHINI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a blender or food processor, thoroughly mix the Parmesan cheese and crackers.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the onion in the skillet, and cook and stir until tender. Mix in the zucchini, tomato, and garlic, and season with oregano, basil, celery, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook and stir until the zucchini is tender.
• In the prepared casserole dish, mix the pasta with the vegetable mixture and mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with the Parmesan cheese mixture.
• Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the topping is lightly browned. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

ZUCCHINI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute vegetables in oil until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper; cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in pasta. Pour into a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese topping. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 10 minutes or until heated through.

BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Generously butter a 9x12-inch casserole pan and coat with half the bread crumbs.
• Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with the salt.
• Cover with a plate (press down on the zucchini), weighted down with a heavy object.
• The salt will draw the liquid from the zucchini; the plate will help squeeze it out.
• Allow the zucchini to sit for about 20 minutes.
• Place the onion, celery, carrot and pancetta or bacon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is chopped into tiny pieces.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the vegetable-pancetta mixture and the garlic.
• Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add the sausage, stirring to break it up further and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through.
• Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce and broth.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• You should have a thin rather than thick pasta sauce; you want it liquid, as the mixture will eventually bake.
• Set the sauce aside, and cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions.
• Do not overcook; the pasta should hold its shape.
• While the pasta is cooking, rinse the zucchini.
• Wrap in a clean, dry kitchen towel and squeeze out all the moisture.
• Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil.
• Add the zucchini, and over high heat, brown on all sides for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cook in two batches, adding more oil if necessary, if the zucchini pieces are too many for one pan.
• They should be softened but not mushy.
• Remove and set aside.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
• Remove 1 cup of the pasta sauce from its pan and warm the remainder.
• Add the pasta and reserved pasta water to the sauce in the pan and toss well.
• Add the zucchini and mozzarella and stir well.
• Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared casserole pan.
• Pour the reserved sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and the Romano.
• Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, and bake in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes, until warmed through.
• Remove the foil, check that the mozzarella is melted and broil for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp the top before serving.

ROASTED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Toss zucchinis and onions in a large bowl with olive oil until evenly coated. Spread vegetables into a large baking dish.
• Roast vegetables in the preheated oven until golden, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
• Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat marinara sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until sauce is hot. Spread hot marinara sauce into the prepared baking dish, followed by penne pasta and zucchini mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese atop vegetables.
• Bake in the preheated oven until sauce is bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow casserole to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil.
• Saute Zucchini until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to an oiled shallow casserole dish.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water, when pasta is almost cooked, drain and add to Zucchini.
• Add tomatoes, olives, Parmesan, rosemary and 1/2 of the mozzarella.
• Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper; if desired.
• Gently mix together.
• Cover with the remaining mozzarella.
• Bake until cheese is melted and the top is slightly browned, about 15 minutes.

CREAMY ZUCCHINI AND SPINACH PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, cook and stir onions in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 3 to 4 min. or until crisp-tender. Add zucchini and mushrooms; cook 3 to 4 min. or until zucchini is crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add half the spinach; cook 2 to 3 min. or just until wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Add to vegetable mixture in skillet along with the pasta sauce, ricotta, Italian seasoning and 1 cup mozzarella; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining mozzarella.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until casserole is heated through and mozzarella is melted.

CARAMELIZED ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• In a large (at least 12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil. When it's foaming, add the zucchini, garlic, the basil stems and half the basil leaves. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and cook until pooling with liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the zucchini starts to sizzle, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Continue to cook until the zucchini is very soft, dark green, and reduced to about 1 cup, another 20 to 25 minutes. When you see a build up of browned bits on the skillet, add a couple tablespoons of water and stir, scraping up the browned bits. Repeat anytime more browning occurs. If you see burning, deglaze with water and lower the heat. (Caramelized zucchini can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week; it also freezes well.)
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the zucchini is about done, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta. If the zucchini is ready before the pasta, keep cooking it; the zucchini will only get better the longer it cooks.
• When the pasta's drained, remove the herb stems from the zucchini. Reduce the heat on the zucchini to medium, then add the pasta, 1 cup pasta water, and the Parmesan. Stir until the pasta is glossed with sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining basil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more basil, Parmesan and black pepper.