Here it is! My first recipe post. What could be more delicious than some gooey, cheesy, heap of goodness? Zucchini Lasagna falls into this category. It also falls into the “no one has to know it’s gluten free” category. While we have found that there are great substitutes for most gluten foods, pasta & bread are the two that have been tough. I’ll post about our favorite gluten free bread and pasta at some point but it’s always great to find a recipe that just doesn’t need a substitute at all.

Some may say, “oooh that is gluten free and uses turkey, it must be healthy!”. Well, I can’t claim this is a health food given the amount of gooey goodness cheese included but by omitting pasta and switching up beef for turkey, this is a healthier version of lasagna.

Let’s get started! The zucchini is going to play the role of lasagna noodle. The first step in this recipe is to thinly slice the zucchini. I always struggle with recipes using words like “thinly”. What’s thin? For this recipe, think about the thickness of a lasagna noodle. I try to go a little thinner than that but still a width that will stay together and hold up to handling. The key with these zucchini ‘noodles’ is that we need to dry them out a little. In a typical lasagna, the pasta will absorb some of the liquid from the rest of the recipe. With zucchini noodles, they will not do this and will actually add to the liquid -so DO NOT SKIP THIS NEXT STEP. Spread the thinly sliced zucchini slices on paper towel and let sit for at least an hour to dry them out. If short for time, spread them on a baking sheet and bake in oven at 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes to dry them out (warning: do not over bake them – they should still be green and soft).

Next step, prep all the rest of your veggies. Dice an onion and mince some garlic. Want to jazz this recipe up? Dice up a red pepper or some mushrooms – whatever veggies you would add to a regular lasagna. My word of caution on this is to be aware of the liquid level of whatever you are adding.

When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Turn burner to medium heat and add some olive oil to a frying or sauce pan. When the oil is heated, add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is slightly softened (about 5 minutes).

A word on meat choice, this is another part of the recipe that can be adjusted to your taste. Want to use ground beef? Do it! Want to add sausage? Go ahead! We are big fans of ground turkey so that’s my go to meat for this dish. I also think that given the lighter nature of zucchini noodles versus real noodles, a lighter meat pairs better.

Once the meat is brown, add the tomato sauce. I have been using Newman’s Own Tomato and Basil Sauce recently. I go through phases of making my own tomato sauce and buying it. This is a spot that you can definitely make things simpler. But buyer be ware with tomato sauce! There are lots of store bought sauces that loaded with sugar and other things you don’t need in your recipe. Even Newman’s Own has varieties with added sugar and some without. So, read labels and pick one that works for your family.

Now, the fun part! Assemble the lasagna. Pick your favorite lasagna dish. Want to make things simple or want to freeze for later? use a disposable pan. I used a corning ware dish for this one. Layer meat/sauce, cheese, half the lasagna noodles, then repeat for one more layer. Top with cheese. Cheese… just like the veggies and the meat, feel free to alter the cheese. I use shredded mozzarella because I usually have it on hand. I have used an Italian blend of shredded cheese that included Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Provolone which turned out great. I recommend not using fresh mozzarella or ricotta because of the liquid content. I have used fresh mozzarella as the top ‘crust’ layer and that has worked out well.

Last step, throw it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. It will come out as a deliciously simple dish. Serve with a side salad and a hardy baguette for a full plate or have on it’s on as we often do.

Zucchini Lasagna

Ready in 1 hour (30 minutes active time)

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

• 1 large sized Zucchini (thinly sliced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 1 glove of garlic (minced)
• 1 lb ground turkey substitute other ground meat
• 2 cups of tomato sauce (16 oz)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

Optional:

• A few handfuls of spinach
• Red pepper
• Other cheeses

Preparation

1. Thinly slice the zucchini into long strips and spread out on paper towel to dry it out. Ideally, leave on counter to dry for an hour. If pressed for time, you can bake the zucchini slices for a few minutes a side to dry it out.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Turn burner to medium heat with some olive oil in it.
3. Saute onion in olive oil until soft and clear – about 5 minutes.
4. Add ground turkey to pan. Cook turkey through until no longer pink. Break it up as it cooks so it ends up in small pieces, well mixed with onion.
5. Add tomato sauce to pan, Mix well with the turkey and onion. Divide the contents of the pan in two.
6. Assemble the lasagne. In a small lasagna pan, or corning ware dish, start with a layer of the meat mixture (½ of the meat & sauce mixture), then some cheese, then a layer of the zucchini slices, then more cheese, the other half of the meat mixture, cheese, layer of zucchini slices, and finally top with cheese.
7. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Tips

• Do not over sauce the meat. Because the zucchini lets out more water during cooking, the dish can get too liquidy. This is also why I recommend using a shredded cheese mix versus fresh mozzarella or ricotta. 
• This dish is very flexible. Want to spice up the meat? use a combo of hot italian sausage and ground meat. Want to change the cheese profile? Use an italian blend with parmesan, provolone, & mozzarella. Want to make it loaded with veggies? Add in spinach, peppers, mushrooms. 
• If the cheese starts to brown too much on top, cover with tinfoil.