Spinach and Basil Flavoured Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Ravioli with Homemade Marzano Tomato Sauce

Look at that piece of magic, huh? Dang. I got the idea for these babies from Zavida at The Healthy Maven last week and just had to give them a try. And it was super simple, albeit time consuming because I made everything except the cheese and veg myself. 

Anyway, I don't have a spiralizer, and into order to avoid slicing my finger open again, I used our vegetable peeler (NOT the potato peeler) to make the super-thin zucchini slices. Rich wanted to use the mandolin. He even brought it down off the pantry shelf. He even sliced some zucchini with it. I cringed every time the vegetable wrapped in his hand passed over the knife. Even if he had his hand in the super-thick Ov-Glove, I could still imagine long strips of finger being torn away. Is that weird? That I'm now afraid of the stupid mandolin? 

Anyway, the mandolin cut considerably thicker strips than I was looking for, but it still worked out.

I did a couple of things differently for this recipe. First, I cut up the spinach, along with some fresh basil from my pots, and sautéed them together and then mixed them into the ricotta. I just liked it better that way. I also made the tomato sauce from some leftover marzano tomatoes from the lobster dish. Part of the reason is because I needed an excuse to use them (says the person who hates tomatoes) and partially because I have a hard time eating red sauce in general (because of an illness when I was a teenager), so I figured that I might as well give myself the best chance and make my own. I liked it (Rich liked it more), but I thought it was a touch sweet, really only a symptom of using marzano tomatoes, which happen to be very sweet.

Anyway, I also made the vinaigrette for that salad there. Nothing fancy, just red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and some spices and oil. 

It's like you don't want to look away.

Ingredients:
Ravioli
Zucchini, sliced into thin strips with a vegetable peeler
1 tub part-skim ricotta cheese
Small handful spinach leaves, coarsely cut
6 or so fresh basil leaves, coarsely cut
2 garlic gloves, peeled and diced
Tomato Sauce
6 marzano tomatoes, blanched, peeled and crushed or pureed
2 fresh basil leaves, diced
1 garlic glove, peeled and diced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
With a small amount of oil sauté the garlic for the ravioli until fragrant. Add the basil and spinach and sauté until wilted, about a minute. Remove from heat and add to ricotta, mixing thoroughly.
Using two strips per side, arrange strips in an "x." Place a small teaspoon of ricotta where the strips meet and fold them over (Zavida has a really nice step-by-step for this in photo). Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for twenty minutes. When done, place onto a plate.
Meanwhile, sauté the garlic for the sauce with the basil and oil for a few seconds, then add the tomatoes. Add to the ravioli. Top with parmesan and serve.

Notes:
I served with this with salad topped with imitation crab, but this would be good with a lot of things, including some nice crusty bread.
Make sure when you're cutting the zucchini slices, you don't cut into the seeds -- it will make for strips pocked with holes, and the seeds fall out. So as soon as you start to see seeds, switch to another side.

Okay, one more time:

Mmmmm, tasty.