Zucchini-Beef Casserole

It's zucchini season, for sure!  I absolutely love this wonderful vegetable.  It's super easy to cook with and quite versatile.  I wanted to make something different for my family and I started looking for recipes.  I found this one on the Taste of Home website and knew that I had to make it.  I made a few changes here and there and LOVED the result!  This has quickly become a family favorite!  The flavors are simply amazing.  I served ours with some cheesy garlic bread and they paired up beautifully.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-2 large zucchinis, shredded

-1 tsp salt

-2 large eggs

-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

-1 lb extra lean ground beef

-1 small onion, finely chopped

-15 oz pasta sauce

-1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Sprinkle shredded zucchinis with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.  After that, squeeze all the liquid our of the zucchinis and place them in a large bowl. **this step is very important; the salt will bring out all the liquid in the zucchini and if it's not squeezed out, you'll end up with a mushy mess**

Combined squeezed zucchinis with the eggs, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the cheddar and 1 cup of the mozzarella.  Mix very well.  Press on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the beef with the onion.  Drain.  Add the pasta sauce, mix well and set aside.

Once the zucchini crust is done baking, remove from the oven and top with the beef mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.  Top with the chopped bell pepper.

Return to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes.

Remove from oven and let it sit for 10 minutes to set.

Slice and enjoy!