Summer Delights: Zucchini Lasagne

zucchini lasagne9

As I was grilling my 3rd batch of zucchini this week, I was thinking, "what am I going to do with all of this?".

A layered lasagne, using the zucchini slices instead of noodles it was going to be.

I had an idea for a recipe, but took some notes from Elaine's recipe via her beautiful mother Angela from Naples.

This can be an all day affair if you don't do some things ahead.

I always have fresh breadcrumbs in the freezer.
I always have homemade tomato sauce in the freezer.
I always have freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and grated mozzarella in the fridge, so all I really have to do is grill the zucchini, and you can even do that the day before.



Wow, I am not usually so well organized.

Elaine's recipe calls for boiling the zucchini strips for 5 minutes in water, until limp, but I liked the grill marks and the crispy edges, so I grilled mine.
A little kosher salt and olive oil and a few minutes on the grill.



Zucchini Lasagne (adapted from The Italian Dish):

3-4 large zucchini, sliced the long way, grilled or cooked for 5 min. in boiling water
1 cup of homemade tomato sauce (you can use whatever sauce you like)
1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese
2 eggs (Elaine's recipe calls for 4 eggs)
1 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (use the real stuff) (divided)
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese (divided)
1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs (divided)
fresh chopped parsley
salt & pepper



Make the ricotta mixture by adding the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, salt & pepper and fresh parsley. Set aside.

In a small rectangle baker (8 x 10), lay some tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Lay slices of zucchini, overlapping them a bit like noodles.



Next, layer a dollop of the ricotta cheese on top & spread over the zucchini slices, and sprinkle w/ half the mozzarella cheese.

Layer with another row of zucchini slices.

Next add some more tomato sauce on top of the zucchini and sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs over the sauce. Finish with the rest of the ricotta mixture.

Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the ricotta mixture.
This will be your topping, a nice baked cheesy fluffy mixture, that browns in the oven.
I liked that!

Bake at 350F for about 40-45 minutes.
Let sit an hour before serving.



This was fantastico!

Comments

Steve said…
Stace,
Wow! So that I'd have leftovers (which I'm sure are delicious), I'd server way smaller portions with some grilled chicken. I wouldn't send any of this home with guests. Stingy but strategic.
Oh dear god that looks good! The best lasagne I ever had used eggplant instead of noodles. I bet this one would be similar.
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Stacey - You had a great idea there and it looks really delicious. A similar casserole was waiting in the fridge for me when I got home, made with both the zucchini and eggplant from my garden.
I also have a lot of zucchini - can't wait to make this! Thank you:)
The JR said…
I've made zuchinni lasagna before. I luv yours with the grill marks!
I made Elaine's dish last year, so good, I'm going to try it with just grilled zucchini. It looks fantastico!!Sometimes when I have an over abundance of grilled veggies I end up making a lasagna out of them anyway,it's a good way to use them all up!
wanda said…
What a great idea for a veggie dish. So colorful. Can't wait to make this.
Pam said…
This looks amazing Stacey! So gooey and filled with tasty flavors... yum!

The peach muffins down below look so delicious too.
tasteofbeirut said…
What a great idea Stacey! I have to cook a lot of zuccini these days and sometimes run out of ideas! This lasagne looks so good.
kat said…
Oh so good! I know what you mean about having too much zucchini. Last year we found out it makes a pretty good "noodle" for carbonara too.
lisa is cooking said…
I love this use of zucchini! Every time I see a great zucchini dish like this one, I wish I had a garden overflowing with them. Maybe next year!
Dana said…
This falls in the "duh, why didn't I think of that" category. I don't have zucchini coming out of my ears but I would happily buy some to try it this way.
Dewi said…
Such a superb idea Stacey. I think I like it, must have been a lot of work griling those slices of zukes :)
Lisa from Wilmington, DE said…
That is a GREAT idea, Stacey! Don't know why I didn't think about that as a solution to avoiding the pasta carbs (being diabetic). Now I don't have to abstain from lasagne, which is one of my favorites. Love grilling veggies so you've come up with another masterpiece. Bellissimo!
Wow, this looks great! Sometimes I make loaf pan of very firm polenta and slice it up thin and use that instead of the noodles for a lasagna dish, but the zucchini is a stroke of genius, and much lower in carbs, too. Delicioso!
Stacey: Thanks for making my mom's zucchini lasagna! I love that you grilled it instead - I'm going to try that. It's a great low-carb dish!
Jen_from_NJ said…
I thought that I had tried zucchini about every way possible - a zucchini lasagna is a brilliant idea and a must try!
Are you growing your own zucchini? If so, hope you will consider participating in the Grow Your Own blogging event this month, celebrating the home gardener. Summer is a great time to do participate, when growing is easy, and since zucchini is on many people's minds, your recipe would be great to share!
Katie said…
this looks amazing! never thought to use zucchini like this... mmm... can't wait to try this recipe out!
Anonymous said…
Was specifically looking for a recipe for lasagne without noodles and here it is! Will try it this weekend for sure. Was wondering if eggplant would also work as well? Any comments?
Stacey Snacks said…
Anonymous:

I would stick with the zucchini in this recipe, but if you want a really great eggplant recipe, check out the grilled eggplant parm I made a few days ago....it might fit the bill and has no ricotta.

Stacey