Zucchini Lasagne: a delicious pasta-free meal

For those of us who love lasagne – you can enjoy your favorite dish without the calories or guilt!

Zucchini strips cleverly take the place of pasta sheets in this recipe, making it healthier and gluten-free too. This lasagne is also loaded with mushrooms, beef sauce, and lots of tasty cheese.

This pasta-free lasagne is sure to become a dinnertime favorite with your family.

Instructions

Make sauce: (you can also use store-bought ragu sauce if you don’t want to make your own)

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until onion is soft. Add the garlic and ground beef. Break the ground beef up with a wooden spoon while it is cooking.

Cook until the meat is no longer pink, then add bay leaves, cinnamon, oregano, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir well and cook for a couple more minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, then stir and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Prepare zucchini:

While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare the zucchini. Use a knife or mandolin to slice them so they are about 1/8 of an inch in thickness.

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Step 1

Make sauce: (you can also use store-bought ragu sauce if you don’t want to make your own)

Remove the excess water from them* (see notes)

Preheat oven to 375F/170C fan/gas mark 5.

Assemble lasagna:

Start with a layer of zucchini slices. Lay them out in a 9 x 13 in ovenproof dish.

Top the zucchini layer with a bit of mozzarella cheese, and then a layer of mushrooms.

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Step 4

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until onion is soft. Add the garlic and ground beef. Break the ground beef up with a wooden spoon while it is cooking.

Add a layer of the meat sauce, followed by dollops of ricotta cheese.

Repeat so that you end up with 3 layers of zucchini. When you reach the last layer of ricotta cheese, also top with shredded mozzarella or slices of mozzarella cheese.

Finally sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake:

Transfer the baking tray to the oven. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

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Step 7

Cook until the meat is no longer pink, then add bay leaves, cinnamon, oregano, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir well and cook for a couple more minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, then stir and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Garnish with fresh parsley. Allow the lasagna to settle for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

*How to remove excess water from the zucchini:

Lay out the zucchini slices over some paper towels, sprinkle some salt over the slices of zucchini, then place another paper towel over the top to soak up all the water. This will remove the excess moisture that could make the lasagne too watery.

You can also grill or bake the zucchini slices first to remove the moisture from them.