Zucchini Lasagna

Cooking for Families

Many people are following low carb diets and enjoy zucchini lasagna. Zucchini has a lot of water in it so making zucchini lasagna is a longer process than making lasagna with noodles made with wheat flour. Zucchini lasagna doesn’t taste like wheat noodle lasagna. But it’s delicious. Grilling works best to remove the water from the zucchini. But as an alternative to grilling, you can bake the zucchini slices in a 500F oven until golden, about 5 minutes on each side.

You Will Need:

5 medium zucchinis (2 lb. total weight)
Olive oil cooking spray
1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/3 cup marinara sauce, divided
15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, packed (1 oz)
8 oz part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

What to Do:

Grill the zucchini slices:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat your grill to medium. Slice the zucchinis lengthwise, into 1/4-inch-thick strips, getting 6 slices out of each zucchini.

2. Spray the zucchini slices with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.

3. Grill the zucchini slices, in batches, 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and firm – not browned and crisp. Spread them on clean kitchen towels to soak up more moisture.

Cook the beef and prepare the ricotta layer:
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the meat, the minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until the meat is browned, 5-7 minutes. Drain into a colander, then return the meat to the pot and mix in 1 cup of the marinara sauce.

2. In another bowl, with a fork, mix together the ricotta, eggs, basil, and the remaining kosher salt and black pepper.

Assemble the lasagna:
1. Spread the remaining 1/3 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish. Top the marinara sauce with a layer of zucchini, then a third of the ricotta mixture, a third of the meat mixture, and a third of the mozzarella cheese.

2. Repeat, arranging the zucchini slices in the opposite direction: zucchini, 1/3 ricotta, 1/3 meat mixture, 1/3 mozzarella.

3. Repeat one last time, adding one extra layer of zucchini: zucchini, ricotta, meat mixture, more zucchini, and mozzarella.

Bake the lasagna:
Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is golden, about 30 minutes. You can finish by broiling for 1-2 minutes on high to brown the cheese, if you wish and if your dish is broiler-safe.

Reference:
Recipe by healthyrecipesblogs
Photos by Stephanie Felzenberg