Conneaut Zucchini Cassarole

This was given to me by a new neighbor that is from Conneaut Lake, PA. I have an over abundance of zucchini this year and have been trying all kinds of recipes. This is really easy to make and can be adapted to what you have in the fridge or freezer. It can be made ahead of time and frozen uncooked or cooked, cooled and then frozen. I made it and everyone went back for seconds, even my nephew that hates vegetables! The number of servings this makes are dependent entirely on how much you think a serving is, so 6 to 8 is only a guess.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3 -4  cups fresh zucchini, chopped
• 2  lbs Italian sausage
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1  small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1  small red bell pepper, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  slices  bread (I used some left over garlic bread but any bread will work)
• 2  cups  shredded cheddar cheese
• 1  teaspoon  italian seasoning
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1  cup water
• 1  dash salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook zucchini in boiling water for aprox. 6 minutes then drain.
2. In a frying pan cook Italian sausage(bulk works better then links for this recipe) until browned and cooked through. Drain any fat.
3. Return sausage to fry pan and add onion, bell peppers and saute' until onion is translucent. Then add garlic and saute' for 1 more minute. Drain if needed and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Tear or cut bread into pieces, add to bowl with sausage/vegetable mixture. Add all remaining ingredients but NOT the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes or until it is bubbly and hot.