Zucchini & “Beef” Casserole

My husband and I are trying to eat more vegetarian meals for dinner, so when my mom e-mailed me this recipe, I decided to try it out with faux beef (I like the Morningstar meal starters, but we used a different one for this that was great and I can’ t remember exactly what the brand was).  Being the awesome woman she is, my mom actually made this at our house while I got some stuff done that I needed to (having supportive family members is key in this new phase of life + baby).  It is a very simple dish with few ingredients, but it really “works.”  We served it over brown rice, but I think it’d be great with lentils, too.

Recipe Courtesy Of: pinky kookie (on food.com)

Recipe Located Online At: http://www.food.com/recipe/zucchini-and-ground-beef-casserole-461077

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, fresh cut in 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup salsa, jarred with tomatoes, onions and chiles (we used pico de gallo I bought in the produce dept)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1) Brown ground beef with chopped onions, chopped garlic, salt and pepper.

2) Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until meat is well cooked.

3) Add jarred salsa and cumin. Cover and simmer in low heat for another 10 minutes until favors blend.

4) Add the zucchini chunks. Cover and cook for about 10 more minutes until zucchini is cooked, but not too soft.