Round Two…

Continuing with the layered theme, zucchini lasagna! I used my homemade marinara and a pesto I made with some fennel and spinach for an additional LAYER of flavor.

This lasagna was so easy and I didn’t even miss the pasta. I love that zucchini is such a great substitute for noodles, plus I don’t feel as bad once they get smothered with cheese.

Ingredients I used for the Lasagna

• Homemade Marinara
• Homemade Fennel and Spinach Pesto
• 1 Cup of Ricotta
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese plus more for garnish
• 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese plus more for sprinkling
• 4 Zucchini Sliced Lengthwise
• 1 Minced Garlic Clove
• Fresh Basil

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Preheat your oven to 350 °. All we have to do for this dish is mix our ricotta, garlic, parm, and mozzarella in a small mixing bowl.

Fold in some fresh torn basil, and season with a pinch of salt. Then layer and bake!

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While the oven preheats, begin assembling your lasagna in a 13 x 9 baking dish. I did a ladle of tomato marinara on the bottom, added a layer of zucchini “noodles” and some dollops of the ricotta mixture.

Add another layer of zucchini and marinara, then alternatively using the pesto and sprinkling of mozzarella between layers.

Repeat until your ricotta and pesto has run out. I topped the last layer with more mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake until golden brown. We cooked ours around 40 minutes and then let the lasagna rest before digging in. Remember, zucchini is really moist so letting the dish rest is very important so you don’t have a super runny meal!

While our zucchini lasagna rested, we prepared a grilled romaine salad (per usual) and some garlic bread to soak up ALL the lasagna’s goodness. YUM!

This dish would also be great with any of your favorite store bought sauces and pesto to make it even easier! I just had already prepared batches of marinara and pesto that I keep in the freezer to defrost and use at my leisure. Make this even heartier and add ground beef or sausage sautéd in olive oil and Italian seasoning to your layers or your tomato sauce. Add more veggies or cannellini beans for some added flavor and protein instantly! I think the next version we try will be with a bechamel cream sauce and spinach. I love creamy dishes so I can’t wait to try that! My mouth just watered. Let’s keep in touch for that recipe 🙂