3 recipes to help you survive the zucchini-apocalypse!

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb Together Farm’s ground beef, pork or lamb (or a blend!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1, 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed (or more!)
• 2 Tbsp coconut sugar, raw honey or maple syrup
• Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (more to taste)
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded (You could just as easily add shredded carrots, mushrooms, etc.)
• 2 Tbsp TF lard for frying

Instructions

1. Heat a good lug of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and cook until tender. Add meat and cook through. Add salt and pepper, and a good sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Drain fat and throw into slow cooker.
2. Next, add all tomatoes, garlic, and sweetener to the crock pot. Add more Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let cook on low for about an hour.
3. Meanwhile, shred or grate zucchini. Add to slow cooker. Let it cook on low for another 3-4 hours. Be sure to stir it every hour or so, so the sides don’t burn.
4. Cook your pasta and top with this warm, yummy, healthy sauce!

Zucchini “Lasagna” Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb Together Farm’s ground beef, pork or lamb (or a blend!)
• 4 small zucchinis, ends cut off (you can sub two large zucchini)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite pasta sauce (see above)
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded (about 2 cups), divided
• 15 oz container of ricotta cheese or better yet sub with cottage cheese!
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Materials

• 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag
• 1 quart-sized plastic freezer bag

To Freeze and Cook Later

1. Add half of mozzarella cheese to quart-sized bag, seal, and set aside.

2. Label your gallon-sized plastic freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date (which will be three months from the prep date). 

3. In a large bowl, combine remaining half of mozzarella cheese and all of ricotta or cottage cheese, parmesan, eggs, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper.

4. Add ingredients to gallon-sized freezer bag in this order: a. sliced zucchini b. cheese mixture c. pasta sauce and meat. 

5. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Double bag the gallon bag.

6. Place the small bag of mozzarella between the two gallon bags and freeze for up to three months (though we have used older ones just fine).

To Cook

1. Thaw both bags overnight in the refrigerator. 

2. Dump gallon-sized bag into slow cooker and add lid. Leave baggie with cheese in refrigerator. 

3. Cook 6-8 hours in slow cooker on “low” setting. 

4. Add shredded cheese and cook additional 15 minutes or until melted. 

Serve with a big piece of crusty bread.

Spicy Sausage & Veggie Soup

Ingredients

• 1lb Together Farm’s spicy Italian sausage or chorizo
• 8 medium-sized carrots (about one pound), peeled (if not organic) and sliced
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, diced (You can sub a 14.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes, if you want)
• 1 medium-sized zucchini, ends cut off and chopped (about one cup)
• 1 medium-sized yellow squash, ends cut off and chopped (about one cup)
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced (about one cup)
• 1, 15oz can of cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 3 cups TF pork or chicken broth (not needed until day of cooking)
• 1, 24oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce (see above!)

Prep

1. Label freezer bag.

2. To your freezer bag, add pasta sauce, cannellini beans, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and ground sausage. (Add the ground sausage to the bag last, so it’s the first ingredient poured into your slow cooker.)

3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook

The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.

2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker, add broth if it wasn’t already added to the bag, and cook on “low” setting for 8 hours, or until carrots are soft.

3. Break apart sausage and serve.

Eat plain or serve with rolls or crusty bread.