It’s a ravioli kind of Tuesday! Welcome back guys! Hope you all had a fun long weekend and July 4th! I will hopefully have made it to Mexico by the time you all read this. Though I’m currently sitting on the studio floor typing this up on Sunday night in prep for a day of travel tomorrow…. But, I’m envisioning today, when I’ll be hanging with Asher by the pool in the Mexican sun. Anyway, I’m really excited to tell you about this zucchini “ravioli”. It’s extra cheesy, saucy, delicious, and you know, even pretty healthy too. But most importantly, it’s just delicious, and a great way to use up that farmers market zucchini.
Here’s the truth…
I’ve never loved, loved zucchini. Sure, I do enjoy it roasted, but it needs to be roasted, not underdone and watery. I’ve found that most zucchini dishes can tend to be watery thanks to the huge amount of water zucchini contains. Whenever I work with zucchini, I always try to think up a fun way to, one, reinvent it, and two, make sure it’s extra delicious and perfectly cooked. This means I’m either grilling it up, like I did with this vegetable sandwich. Or I’m cutting it into ribbons and giving it a whole new look, like with this ravioli. Zucchini is not the most flavorful vegetable, so I figure we ought to really dress it up.
The details
This dish is simple and so fun to make. I love to start with the cherry tomato sauce. It’s simply a toss up of cherry tomatoes, olive oil, wine, garlic and thyme. We’re roasting the sauce in the oven until the tomatoes just begin to burst. The tomatoes will caramelize and be just a touch sweet. But the balsamic vinegar and wine add just the right amount of acidity to balance out the tomatoes.
While the tomatoes are roasting, make the ravioli. Start out by slicing the zucchini into thin ribbons. I find this easiest to do with a mandoline, but you can use a knife as well. You’ll want to lay the zucchini flat, sprinkle it with salt, and let it sit a few minutes. Doing this will draw out any excess water and make the zucchini ribbons pliable for rolling. Then just mix fresh ricotta cheese with some basil pesto and provolone. Wrap the cheese up in the zucchini. It looks all fancy, but it’s actually the easiest to do. At this point, place the zucchini “ravioli” seam side down into the tomatoes. Then just roast the entire dish in the oven until the zucchini is warmed throughout. No boiling water, and only one messy baking dish too!
Your kitchen will smell incredible as this bakes away. It’s just like cheesy ravioli, but minus the pasta, so it’s perfectly light and fitting for warm summer nights. You guys know me, I’m usually all about the pasta. But this cheesy zucchini is surprisingly filling and layered with great flavor and texture! I would add bread on the side though for scooping up the extra tomatoes. YUMM! Hope you guys enjoy!
Looking for other zucchini recipes? Here are some favorites: Spicy Zucchini Ricotta Lasagna with Oregano Breadcrumbs Zucchini Parmesan Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Pasta Carbonara Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Zucchini Bread Lastly, if you make this Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
