Recipe: Zucchini Lasagna

My husband's been on the gluten-free diet for health reasons, so I've been trying to come up with some fun ways for him to not miss out on his favorite foods. That, plus my love for summer vegetables led me to make this zucchini lasagna last week. Holy moly! It's awesome!

Not only is this lasagna, which is awesome in itself, but it's so much more guilt-free when the noodles are replaced with vegetables. Squash is such a wonderful plant, am I right?!

Gluten free or not, this is the way I'm making lasagna from here on out.

I largely used this recipe from food.com and adapted the meat and spices a little and I have a feeling the recipe will evolve the next time I make it. Nonetheless, this is delicious, so here's how to make it.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 zucchini, sliced long like lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1-2 tbs. garlic
• 1 tbs. oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 c. water 
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 c. ricotta cheese
• 1/2 c. mozzarella

Cooking instructions:

1. Boil zucchini noodles until tender, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Cook meat and onions until brown. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, seasonings and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for around 10 minutes. 

3. In a separate bowl, beat egg and add ricotta cheese and half of mozzarella (shredded). 

4. In a baking dish, make one layer of meat, top with zucchini, add all of the cheese mixture, remaining meat and top with zucchini.

5. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake 10 more minutes.

This is great the first day but even better the second! My husband and I got three meals out of this dish. Good stuff!

—Holli Anne