Zucchini Baked Ziti (Keto, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)

This Zucchini Baked Ziti is for nights when you are craving Italian, but want something low-carb and healthy. Zucchini ziti baked in a basil tomato sauce, three different kinds of cheese and Italian chicken sausage. This is a flavourful low-carb Italian dish for any night of the week. Besides, who doesn’t love a cheesy baked dish? Traditionally ziti is made with short cut pasta, but I wanted to keep this meal keto, grain-free and light on carbs, so I used tender young zucchini to replace the pasta. What I love about using zucchini, it is low in carbs and calories, but more importantly, it is rich in minerals. To make this baked ziti extra special, I used three kinds of cheese. Gouda a buttery and creamy cheese, fresh ricotta, adding a lot of creaminess, and asiago slightly sweet and nutty flavour – perfection! This time of the year starts to get very busy, so I like to keep things simple, hearty and delicious. At my house, you can never go wrong with Italian food especially when it is Keto friendly 🙂

So, what is ziti?

First, not to confuse you, ziti a small tube shaped pasta, a little smaller than rigatoni. So, why did I call this recipe ziti since there is no pasta in this recipe? Good question, the entire dish is made just like the classic pasta dish that is served at Italian weddings, but I replaced the pasta with young zucchini. Giving this Italian meal a fresh new look and adding health benefits

Making it

First, you make the sauce. It is made with a splash of olive oil, ground chicken sausage, tomatoes, basil and bay leaves. The sauce is super flavourful with a hint of basil. Once the sauce is done cooking a total time of fifteen minutes, you are pretty much done with the hard work. For the fresh ricotta cheese, I whisked in fresh garlic, a pinch of nutmeg and an egg. Now, all you do is layer everything in a pretty baking dish, and about thirty minutes later, you will have the most delicious gluten-free, healthy-ish Italian meal. Oh, I almost forgot the zucchini has a perfect texture, tender on the inside with a little crisp on the outside, so done to perfection. I call this gluten-free dish “comfort food at its best,” not only it is soooo good, but it is quick and easy to make. Enjoy!