Zucchini Lasagna

Have you had enough zucchini pasta yet? Zucchini lasagna has become one of our household staples. It tastes great as leftovers and since it makes at least 6 large servings, that means I don't have to cook dinner every single night. Zucchini makes an awesome substitute for pasta in general, not just for lasagna noodles. (See here for zucchini spaghetti & meatballs.)
 
In an effort to eat less red meat and no pink slime, I don't usually use beef in this recipe (the lasagna in the photo was made using ground turkey). If I can get it, I'll use free-range bison (they sell it at our local farmer's market) or turkey and it tastes great. Bison and turkey are leaner than ground beef too. This lasagna won't be as tomato-y as you're used to because you have to use fresh tomatoes, but it still tastes amazing. And I use a lot of mozzarella cheese. 

Zucchini Lasagna
serves 6-8
olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey or bison
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground oregano
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5-6 fresh tomatoes (for the tomato puree, you'll need about 1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 medium zucchinis
6 ounces mozzarella cheese (I use mozz. that comes in a whole block and cut in into thin slices that will spread as they melt in the oven)
2 ounces parmesan cheese (I use the fancier parmesan that comes in blocks that I can shred myself, because parm. that comes pre-grated has anti-sticking starches in it)

1. For the tomato puree: Core and roughly chop 5-6 medium tomatoes. Put them in a food processor/blender and mix until completely processed. Place a mesh sieve over a medium sized bowl. Pour the tomato puree over the sieve, so that the juice drains into the bowl. You'll use the tomatoes that remain in the sieve for your sauce. I usually end up pouring in about 1/2 cup of the juice into the sauce, but not all of it. (If you just chop up the tomatoes and add them to the meat, your sauce will be too watery.)

{making the sauce}

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender.  Add the meat and sauté until browned all over. Add all of the spices, salt and pepper. Stir and pour in the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes. Simmer on medium heat about 30 minutes -- until the sauce has thickened.

{zucchini strips}

3. Slice the zucchinis lengthwise into thin slices. Pour a small amount of the sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of zucchini slices, pour half the sauce onto the zucchini layer, and top with half of the mozzarella slices. Add another layer of zucchini and top with the last of the meat sauce, the rest of the mozzarella and all of the parmesan.

4. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. And you will want more.