Zavioli With Spinach And Ricotta

• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup basil leaves, torn
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
• 1/2 clove garlic (optional)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 extra large zucchini
• 9 toothpicks, soaked in water
• 1/4 cup pasta sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, and pepper together in a bowl.
3. Grind basil, oil, and garlic together into a chunky paste using a mortar and pestle. Add pine nuts to the pesto; grind to the size of small peddles.
4. Slice zucchini lengthwise into strips using a mandoline.
5. Arrange 2 zucchini strips in the shape of a cross. Spoon some of the ricotta cheese mixture in the middle of the cross. Top with a dollop of pesto. Fold ends into the center to create a parcel, starting from the bottom end and moving clockwise. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining zucchini strips, ricotta cheese mixture, and pesto.
6. Spread some of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Arrange zucchini parcels on top, spacing them 1/2 inch apart. Spoon a bit of pasta sauce on top of each parcel. Sprinkle Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese on top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until sauce and zucchini begin to brown, about 20 minutes.

ricotta cheese, chopped spinach, egg, ground black pepper, basil, extravirgin olive oil, clove garlic, nuts, zucchini, toothpicks, pasta sauce, cheese

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/254971/zavioli-with-spinach-and-ricotta/ (may not work)