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Simply Delicious

Creamy Cheese Casserole

VegetableCasseroleItalian

Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

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About

If you are searching for some delicious, no-meat meals, well, on the chopping block of all meatless dishes, we've just found the right cut of great taste that you've been looking for! Farm-fresh zucchini and spinach come to life layered with lasagna noodles that are topped with a dairy-fresh chive-and-onion-cream-cheese and ricotta mixture and a generous slab of melted mozzarella! Meat-free doesn't mean taste-free with Creamy Cheese Casserole. It's hard to beat and... it's without the meat!

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Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) container whipped chive and onion cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more, whole leaves, to taste, for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
  • 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 6 no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 1 (7-ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 2 -Grease a 9-inch square baking dish and lightly grease an 11x11-inch piece of aluminum foil.

Step 3 -In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, the ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup of the basil, and the salt and stir to combine.

Step 4 -In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.

Step 5 -Add the zucchini slices to the hot olive oil and sauté, stirring frequently, until they are lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.

Step 6 -Add the spinach to the zucchini slices and gently toss to combine. Cook until the spinach has wilted.

Step 7 -Add the garlic to the zucchini mixture and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Step 8 -Add 1/3 of the zucchini mixture to the bottom of the prepared baking dish and top with 2 of the lasagna noodles, then with 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat the layers twice.

Step 9 -Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the casserole.

Step 10 -Secure the prepared aluminum foil over the baking dish and bake the casserole until it is bubbly and the noodles are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Step 11 -Discard the aluminum foil and bake the casserole until it is golden, about 5-10 minutes.

Step 12 -Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let the casserole stand, about 10 minutes.

Step 13 -Serve the casserole, garnished with the extra basil leaves.

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