Zucchini Lasagna
A healthier alternative to traditional lasagna. You won't even miss the pasta.
This is a bit labor intense to make, but worth the taste. I takes about 1-1/2 hours to assemble.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sirloin – see note below
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbls. chopped fresh basil
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- oregano, to taste
- fennel, to taste
- crushed red pepper, to taste
- 4 medium zucchini (8 ounces each), sliced 1/8" thick - see note below
- salt
- 1 1/2 c. low-fat ricotta cheese (Gilbani)
- 1/4 c. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- 1 large egg
- 4 c. (16 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a medium sauce pan, brown meat, onion and season with salt and pepper. When almost browned, add in garlic and continue to brown until meat has been cooked through. Remove any remaining fat.
Add tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, oregano, fennel and crushed red pepper. Simmer on low, covered, for at least 30-40 minutes. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.
Meanwhile, while sauce is simmering, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices; lightly salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel. It is important to remove all the moisture you can. You may have to continually blot as you grill.
Preheat a gas grill or use a grill pan on medium heat, and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side until slightly browned. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.
In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmigiana-reggiano cheese and egg. Stir well.
In a 9x12 greased baking dish, layer accordingly:
1st LAYER: 1/2 cup sauce, layer zucchini (8-10 slices laid horizontally; width of dish). Spread on 1/2 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
2nd LAYER: 1/3 of remaining sauce, (8-10) zucchini slices, ½ cup ricotta cheese mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
3rd LAYER: 1/3 remaining sauce, (8-10) zucchini slices, ½ cup ricotta cheese mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Last LAYER: Remaining sauce, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake 20 minutes (to dry up the sauce) then place the remaining mozzarella on top of sauce and continue baking until melted, about 10 minutes.
Let stand about 5-10 minutes before serving.
NOTE: You can also use Jenni-O Hot or sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed. You will only need to add the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste, but not the Italian seasoning, oregano, fennel or crushed red pepper.
If you can’t find thick-medium zucchini and need to use smaller ones, you will need 10 strips per layer (vertically 5 across in 2 rows). 30 strips total.