Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Put the quinoa and butter in a pan and saute over medium for about 5-7 minutes or until the quinoa smells nutty. They will also get slightly browned (don’t burn them!). Also, stir gently while they are cooking.
3. Pour the vegetable stock and 1 cup of marinara in and bring just to a boil.
4. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
5. While this is boiling, take the zucchini slices and lay them down on a paper towel.
6. Lightly sprinkle with salt (maybe 1/2 teaspoon over all of them) and then cover with another paper towel. This will help draw out the liquid in them so your dish will not get mushy.
7. In a separate bowl, add in the cooked quinoa, ricotta, parmesan cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, spices and egg.
8. Stir well and fast (you don’t want the egg to cook). It will become creamier. You want it blended.
9. Put 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8×8 casserole dish (you want a deep dish one!) If you don’t have a deep dish one, use a 9×13” dish.
10. Line the bottom with 4 slices of zucchini
11. Add 1/2 of quinoa mixture.
12. Top with sliced mushrooms (optional)
13. Add 1/2 cup of marinara sauce.
14. Repeat by adding another layer of zucchini, the rest of the quinoa, mushrooms and 1/2 cup of sauce.
15. Add last layer of zucchini and top with remaining marinara sauce.
16. Cover with foil and place the dish on a cookie sheet to catch any spillage.
17. Cook for 35 minutes.
18. Remove foil and top with remaining mozzarella.
19. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the zucchini can be pierced with a sharp knife. You don’t want it super soft. You want it to still be just slightly firm.
20. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.