Zucchini Lasagna

 Let me start this off by saying I am not Italian, nor do I pretend to be. It doesn't take me two minutes to say mozzarella. In addition, I am more of a recipe tweaker than creator. I don't really measure much, I just go by taste. Cooking is about having fun, not rocket science. Just do what tastes good. Now let's get down to business.

 This is one of the best lasagnas I've ever had. No joke. Then again I am not the most picky eater, so maybe my opinion doesn't matter. However, my boyfriend on the other hand is one of the most picky eaters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And guess what? He likes this lasagna. Heck, even my cat went nuts while I was assembling this beauty. I think she channeled Garfield because she was meowing like crazy.

apparently all striped cats love lasagna

 This lasagna doesn't have any noodles whatsoever, and you'd never even miss them. How much more tempting could this be? The "noodles" in this are, you guessed it, zucchini- one of my most favorite veggies. The only downside to this recipe is the fact that there is a lot of liquid after cooking, liquid from the zucchini. This still happened to me even AFTER I salted it to draw out some of that liquid. I don't mind such a thing, but if you do you can probably put some uncooked instant rice on the very bottom of the dish.

 I will go on to say that this recipe is not casein free, blame my migraines. Sounds weird, but true. I couldn't find any dairy free ricotta at the store, and to make my own I'd need tofu. I didn't want to use tofu because I can't have anything that is aged (PS I know mozzarella is aged, but I use it sparingly and not often. Dairy free cheese is crazy expensive). Ricotta is a safe cheese for people that tend to get migraines, but obviously not those trying to be casein free. I have many a conundrum in casein free/ migraine free land. Does anyone else have these issues? I'd love to know that there are people out there that understand my lifelong plight.

 Now that you've heard my life story, let's make some low carb, gluten free, good for you lasagna. You'll want to start by slicing your zucchini very thinly, lengthwise. I'd advise the use of a mandolin. Put the slices in a colander, and sprinkle a dash of salt over the slices. Try to get a little salt on every slice, this will draw out the excess moisture so you doesn't end up with watery lasagna.

 While your zukes are draining, you can make your sauce. I always make my own spaghetti sauce. Just get some tomato sauce and spices, sometimes ground meat, heat it up and you are good to go.

 After that you'll want to get your ricotta mixture together. I squeezed the liquid out of the thawed spinach, and added ricotta and parsley to it. I never add egg to my ricotta for lasagna, and I find that I never miss it.

 Now it's time for the fun part, lasagna assemble!!! I wish if I just yelled that it would assemble itself.  I always put a layer of sauce down first, so the "noodles" don't stick. Next a layer of the zukes, put them on there like you would with pasta. Now I do a layer of the ricotta, a sprinkle of mozzarella, and a layer of sauce. You wanna repeat this until you get to the last layer. I try to end with a layer of zukes, sauce, and finish with a sprinkle of mozzarella, exactly in that order. Cover with foil and bake away.



1st layer

2nd layer

 

3rd and 4th layer

This is what it should end up looking like after layering

 Let the lasagna cool for a few minutes before slicing. Then enjoy immensely!

 

Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• pinch of salt
• 1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.
3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in black pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, stir ricotta, parsley, and spinach together in a bowl until well combined.
5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/4 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/4 the zucchini slices, 1/4 the ricotta mixture, then 1/4 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Finish with a layer of sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Cover with foil.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe was based on No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna from allrecipes.com