Delicious Zucchini Lasagna
3501 days ago
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From Rachel Blovsky, Cutco Graphic Designer and Production Coordinator:
"I strive to follow a paleo diet (consisting of mainly meat, vegetables and other unprocessed whole foods) 80 percent of the time, but also include cheese in moderation. With zucchini being passed around the office by everyone with home gardens, I decided to try using it in different ways. I am constantly attempting to make healthier versions of my favorite dishes, so I decided to try replacing the pasta with zucchini in lasagna. After some research, I came up with this zucchini lasagna recipe. Not only did it turn out to be absolutely delicious, but I also found that I didn't miss the pasta (or the carbs) one bit! It was very easy to make, although time consuming as lasagna always seems to be, and everyone I fed it to, loved it. This recipe is a definite keeper for me."
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium zucchini
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
- 1 pint sliced mushrooms
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 28 ounce can tomato sauce
- 12 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 24 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Slice the ends off of the zucchini, then slice lengthwise into thin slices.
- Cover cookie sheets in paper towel, then lay zucchini slices in one layer, without much overlapping, completely covering the paper towel. Lightly salt the zucchini (this helps to draw the water out) then place in oven for 30 minutes. This should dehydrate the zucchini significantly, which is crucial to not having too much water in your lasagna. The water will leave the zucchini and saturate the paper towel (which allows them to be used in the oven).
- After the zucchini is done, raise oven temperature to 350°F and continue to preheat oven. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 extra-deep baking pan.
- Prepare the sauce by lightly browning the meat in a large pan on the stovetop. Add in the mushrooms, green pepper, onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, half of the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer sauce on low for 30 minutes. Sauce should be very thick.
- Meanwhile, combine ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, eggs, garlic powder, fresh basil, remainder of the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper in a separate bowl.
- Assemble lasagna by spreading 1/4 of the sauce over the bottom of the pan. Then layer 1/3 of the zucchini, followed by half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with 1/4 of the sauce, another layer of zucchini, the rest of the cheese mixture, 1/4 of the sauce, last 1/3 of the zucchini, then the rest of the sauce. Cover with foil.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
