We are big fans of Italian cuisine. Not only because it is light and easy to digest, but also because of the creativity and variety that defines it. In summer, zucchini cannelloni with tomato sauce is often on our menu. There are many reasons why we love it, read below to find out why. Trust us, you’ll want to make it too!
Our Zucchini Cannelloni in Tomato Sauce: A Fool-Proof Recipe
July is zucchini time. It’s in this zenith month that you can practically watch the vegetable ripen in real time. If you’re growing the squash yourself, you probably will find that you can hardly keep up with your harvest. Perhaps that’s why there are so many zucchini recipes floating out there. But, we have to admit, we think it’s a good problem to have! We personally love to pair the light produce with ricotta-filled cannelloni and a bright tomato sauce. In fact, we’d go so far to say that this simple and easy to prepare dish is nothing short of pure summer bliss.
This dish is so easy to prepare in fact that after three easy steps, you’ll find yourself kicked back and relaxing as it bakes. Begin the recipe by preparing the sauce. Peel the onion and garlic and cut both into fine cubes. Sauté them in a pan with olive oil until translucent and aromatic. Then, add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the canned tomatoes, stir in chopped basil leaves, honey, salt, pepper and the thyme. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply add a little water or tomato juice for the desired consistency. After cooking, pour it into an ovenproof dish.
While the sauce is on the stove, wash the zucchini and cut them lengthwise into thin slices with a vegetable peeler. Salt them and then let them soak for 10 minutes. Afterwards, pat the slices dry and place five of them next to each other. They should overlap slightly at the edges. Now, mix an egg with ricotta, salt, sugar, pepper, and grated Parmesan to make the filling.
Then, spread one to two tablespoons of it on the bottom end of the zucchini slices. Roll them up and arrange them evenly in the sauce. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top. Finally, let the zucchini cannelloni in tomato sauce needs to bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy plain or with fresh bread!
Casseroles are great for nights when you want to spend more time at the table than in the kitchen. Whether in the company of friends, family, or yourself, we promise you’ll enjoy our other recipes, like our potato and chorizo casserole, Moroccan couscous casserole, and tuna noodle casserole with corn.
Zucchini Cannelloni in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce:
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 sprigs of basil
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (21 oz) canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp honey
- salt & pepper
- 2 sprigs of thyme
For the zucchini:
- 4 zucchini medium
- salt
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan grated
- 1 pinch of sugar
- 1 egg
- pepper
Instructions
- Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Chop the basil leaves.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent and aromatic. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, basil leaves, honey, salt, pepper, and thyme sprigs.
- Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat. Remove the thyme, then pour the sauce into a baking dish and preheat the oven to 350°F
- Meanwhile, wash the zucchini, trim the ends, and thinly slice lengthwise using a vegetable peeler. Lightly sprinkle with salt and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Mix the ricotta with ⅓ cup of the grated Parmesan, sugar, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Pat the zucchini slices dry with a paper towel, then arrange five slices side by side, slightly overlapping. Spread 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture along the bottom end of each slice and roll them up from there.
- Place the zucchini cannelloni seam-down in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 25 minutes.