Zucchini lasagna. I normally don’t believe in substituting proper pasta with a zoodle or spaghetti squash, just eat the damn pasta. However this week I had a few things working for (against?) me:
an abundance of zucchini, as I’m sure many of you do too
exactly 0 inspiration to develop a super summery zucchini recipe when I am in my full fall attire already (begrudgingly)
an abundance of mozzarella cheese from another recipe test
a couple requests for it in my end-of-summer recipe requests question box
So I figured what the hell, I’ll give a zucchini lasagna a go. I’ve made it before but to perfect it this round I made it a few times in a row and was pleasantly surprised that I did not get sick of it like I do with normal lasagna after day 3. It takes about an hour in total but the work itself is simple. And I HATE to say this, but I didn’t really miss the noodles. In fact, my favorite part of any lasagna is the cheese, so this essentially gave me more room in my stomach to squeeze in as much cheese as I could.
Zucchini Lasagna
Cook time: 30 minutes for prep, 30 minutes bake time
Serves: 2
🍴Tools required:
Chef’s knife
Cutting board (not my exact one but very similar)
Mandoline
XL Baking sheet
Frying pan (12" Hybrid Pan)
8X8 Baking dish (a close dupe)
Cheese grater
🥬Grocery List:
Protein
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
Dairy
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
250 g ricotta
Produce
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 - 2 lbs zucchini
Pantry
1 jar of your favorite marinara, (I like Mezetta’s Spicy Marinara)
1 1/2 tsp dried basil, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried fennel seeds (or 1/2 tsp crushed fennel)
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Lots of salt + pepper
👩🍳Recipe:
(Note the ingredients above are the same as the ingredients listed below, just in an order easier for you to shop in! So don’t accidentally buy double)
For the zucchini
1 1/2 - 2 lbs zucchini
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jar of your favorite marinara, (I like Mezetta’s Spicy Marinara)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried fennel seeds (or 1/2 tsp crushed fennel)
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
For the ricotta filling
250 g ricotta
1 egg
1/2 tsp fresh basil
salt + pepper
To finish
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions:
Start your zucchini. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice zucchini lengthwise (about 1/2 cm thick). If you have time, place into a colander and sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt, tossing it well to coat each piece. Let sit for 10 minutes to 1 hour and then dab with a towel to remove excess water. (You can skip this step your lasagna will just be slightly more watery, but still delish).
Bake your zucchini. Preheat oven to 400F. On a large baking sheet, lay zucchini out in a flat layer. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
Make your sauce. To a large frying pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil and add in 1/2 diced onion. Sprinkle with salt and cook for 3 minutes until slightly golden. Add in 2 cloves minced garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spoon. Once browned and almost cooked through, add spices: 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 3/4 tsp dried fennel seeds and 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, cook for 30 seconds, then add in sauce and let simmer for a few minutes.
Make your ricotta filling. To a small bowl, mix 1 cup ricotta, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp basil and salt and pepper.
Assemble. To your baking dish, place a small spoonful of sauce, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Layer in: 1/3 of your zucchini, 1/2 of your ricotta, 1/3 of your sauce, 1/3 of your zucchini, remaining ricotta, 1/3 of your sauce, remaining zucchini, remaining sauce, top with mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
Notes:
Zucchini: zucchini is extremely watery so do not skip step 2 - baking it. It’s kind of a pain but I’ve tried skipping it and it results in a really watery dish, not great. I’ve tried a variety of methods to remove the water and baking is the fastest/most effective on it’s own. Salting + baking is the best if you have the extra time.
Sauce: use your favorite jarred sauce. You can even save time and skip the onion and garlic if you’re happy with the sauce flavor as is!
Seasonings: I love this seasoning blend paired with the spicy marinara as it lends an italian sausage flavor to the turkey. If you can’t find fennel, skip it. If you don’t have any of these on hand, skip it and lean on the jarred sauce for flavor.
Cheese: I prefer a dry mozzarella here because it’s cheaper and honestly not worth spending extra $ on a fresh one if you’re just cooking the shit out of anyways.
Anything else? Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and don’t forget to let me know if you make it!
This recipe was AMAZING!
Where to find Mezetta brand in Vancouver?