Zucchini Ravioli

Finally, I think I 'wowed' my husband. It may not have been pretty (so I did not take a picture of my version), but it sure was delicious. I also felt less guilty eating zucchini ravioli compared to regular pasta.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 1 15-oz container of part-skim ricotta cheese

• 2 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

• About 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

• A small sprig of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine

• 1 heaping cup shredded Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese (or a mix of them)

For the zucchini noodles:

• 3 small/medium zucchini (about 8 inches long)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix your filling ingredients.

2. Take your vegetable peeler and slice vertically down the zucchini to make nice thin "zoodles". Set two of these zoodles across each other (at a 90 degree angle) and put a nice fat pat of the ricotta mixture in the middle where they intersect.

3. Roll the zoodles around the cheese and place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you either run out of zoodles or out of cheese. (I did not have the proper kitchen utensil to make them 'nice thin noodles' without cutting my fingers, so I sliced thicker noodles and rolled them together using tooth picks.)

4. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake at 350 F. for about 20 minutes, then top with your favorite spaghetti sauce and a bit of shredded Parmesan. (We enjoyed with some meatballs and they certainly complimented each other.)

Chris' rating: 4.5/5. Chris said this was a really strong 4.5! Give it a try! You will feel less guilty than eating a heavy pasta dish!