Italian Sausage Zucchini Casserole

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This dish is Italian comfort food. I curl up on the sofa with a bowl of this and watch a movie. You go totally low-carb with this one and make it without the pasta. Tastes just as good. This also makes a great casserole addition to a potluck party.

Servings: Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbl of olive oil
  • 1 pound of loose Italian sausage. You can choose mild or hot. You could also do this with links and just cut them into bite-sized pieces or if your store doesn’t sell loose sausage you can buy the links and just cut open the casing and remove the sausage.
  • 1 cup of chopped onion
  • 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
  • 2 small zucchinis cubed into bite-sized pieces. Cut off the stem and discard
  • ½ cup of sundried tomatoes, chopped. Take them out of the jar and drain off most of the oil and then chop.
  • 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup of mascarpone (8 oz tub)
  • 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian blend)
  • 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (or an Italian blend)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take out a 9”X13” casserole dish.

In a large saute pan cook the sausage until it begins to brown on the edges. I continuously break it up and toss it around so I have small bits. You can also leave it chunky if you like that better. Just make sure you get it cooked all the way through.

While the sausage is cooking you can make the other elements. In another saute pan add the olive oil and heat. Then put in the onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Saute until they are all loosened and nearly cooked. Add the sundried tomatoes and the Italian seasoning. Combine with the cooked sausage.

Next, add the mascarpone cheese and one cup of the mozzarella. Heat until the cheese melts into a wonderful goodness. If you stir the mixture, the cheese will melt faster.

Take your casserole dish and pour the sausage mixture in. Spread the remaining mozzarella over the top and sprinkle on the parmesan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes to melt the cheese and get a good crust. Should be bubbling. I recommend you let the casserole sit for 10 minutes before cutting so you don’t burn your mouth.

Store leftovers in the fridge. This will transport well and can be reheated in the microwave.

Enjoy!

Cheers,