Sausage, Zucchini & Feta Casserole

This casserole sounded like a weird combination, but I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. I also used Al Fresco Garlic and Herb chicken sausage....which I received a free coupon. This ended up being a pretty inexpensive dinner, which was also a casserole, so it made excellent leftovers for lunch. Don't be too afraid of the feta cheese...the strong flavor didn't come through as much as I thought it would. And I was a little worried the flavors wouldn't be very developed since there wasn't much "sauce." I think I was more surprised at Ben's reaction...which he loved it.

Sausage, Zucchini & Feta Casserole (Cooking Light)

2 1/2 cups uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)

8 ounces chicken sausage

Cooking spray

teaspoon olive oil

5 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook pasta in boiling water 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan. Heat oil in pan. Add zucchini, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and zucchini begins to brown, stirring occasionally.

Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta, sausage, and feta cheese in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.