ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS

Weight 20 ounces zucchini (about 2 large or 3 medium, peeling is not needed)

1 pound of lean ground beef (95% lean meat is ideal, at least 90% to avoid a greasy, wet dish)

15 ounces wt. canned tomato sauce without salt (check the label of the ingredients to make sure there is no salt)

1 cup finely chopped onion (approximately 1 small onion)

1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) of grated mozzarella cheese (I use a nonfat portion of nonfat)

1/2 cup (2.2 ounces weight) finely grated Parmesan cheese (should be powdered, finer than sand)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 tsp ground cayenne

INSTRUCTIONS

Making the meat sauce:

1. Heat a high-sided pan over medium heat until it becomes hot (I use a 10-inch wide non-stick pan with 3-inch high sides). Add olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add onions and cook until soft for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add ground beef to the pan. Cook until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking it into pieces during cooking.
3. Add tomato sauce while stirring. Set simmer over medium heat, then gradually reduce heat to maintain a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring frequently. The resulting sauce should be thick, easily cling to meat and onions; this helps to reduce excess moisture in the resulting lasagna.
4. Add oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir for a minute until well mixed. Turn off the fire.

Assembling and baking lasagna:

1. Place the wire rack in the lower half of the oven and preheat to 375 F. Set aside an 8x8 inch baking dish.
2. For each zucchini, cut both ends and discard them. Place the zucchini upright on a stable, flat end and gently cut the length into 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick strips. Do not worry if the slices are not perfect, because this will not affect the taste of lasagna.
3. Place about one third of the zucchini slices along the bottom of the baking dish so that they slightly overlap each other in a criss-cross shape. Evenly distribute about half of the zucchini meat sauce. Spread about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over the meat sauce.
4. Repeat with another layer of zucchini, a layer of meat sauce and a layer of cheese.
5. Top with remaining slices of zucchini. Add 1/2 more cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan over zucchini. Shake the baking dish quickly so that the cheeses are distributed and cracked.
6. Bake without a lid at 375 F until the lasagna is golden brown on top for about 45 minutes. Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes to allow the lasagna to solidify and stop bubbling before slicing.

This artcle is adapted from this site.