ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
Here's an
easy zucchini lasagna recipe with meat. Fresh zucchini, meat sauce and
mozzarella are layered and cooked to perfection!
Ingredients
- 1 Egg
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 large Onion Chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Fennel Crushed
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup Ricotta (drain extra liquid)
- 2 large Zucchini
- 1/2 cup Parsley chopped (divided)
- 1.5 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil chopped (divided)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
First, start
by making the sauce. Heat a large thick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to
the pan.
Then, when
the oil is moderately hot, add the chopped onion and sauté until it is softened
approx. 2 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Then add the
ground beef. Break large pieces of meat with a spatula and cook until it is no
longer pink.
Add the bay
leaf, fennel, oregano, paprika, chopped basil and parsley. (Reserve 1
tablespoon basil and parsley for the ricotta mixture). Mix well.
Add the crushed
tomatoes and the tomato paste. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 5
minutes.
Cover and
cook the beef mixture over low heat for another 15 to 20 minutes.
While the
sauce is simmering, combine the ricotta, egg, chopped basil, parsley (reserved
when preparing the sauce), a large pinch of salt and the pepper in a bowl. Put
aside.
Using a
mandolin, cut the zucchini into thin slices. Put the zucchini slices in a bowl.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt, mix gently and let stand for 10 minutes.
Drain the
liquid from the bowl. Place the zucchini slices on a clean cloth in a single
layer. Place another towel on top and press gently to soak any remaining
liquids. Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices.
Preheat the
oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare an 8 x 8 inch deep baking dish.
Lasagna
assembly
First, spread
a thin layer of beef sauce on the bottom. Arrange the zucchini slices in a
single layer, overlapping them slightly.
Then, pour
the ricotta mixture over the zucchini slices, spread in a thin layer. Top the
ricotta layer with another layer of zucchini slices. Then garnish it with beef
sauce followed by mozzarella cheese.
Repeat the
above two steps two more times until you have used all of the zucchini slices.
At the end, on the top layer, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.
Cover the
baking dish loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated
oven at 375 degrees F.
Carefully
remove the aluminum foil and cook for another 15 minutes until the cheese
bubbles and small brown spots begin to appear.
Remove from
oven and let stand at least 20 minutes before serving.
Happy
Cooking Time.
