This was a great side dish or snack. I also thought it came out so pretty! I love my box grater and shredding so this was a joy for me. But please be careful with your fingers, they can be easily hurt in the grater, eek! Feel free to add in different herbs, flavorings and veggies to this. You can use the recipe as a skeleton and just add what you like.
Low-fat Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake
adapted from 101 cookbooks
serves 6-8
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 cups fat-free or part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan (or tart pan).
- In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.
- In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).
- At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn’t quite golden, zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature.
Marisa's Healthy Kitchen 