It’s such a beautiful site.
Lasagna, in my book, is one of the most comforting dinner meals out there. The recipe may look a little intimidating but it’s truly not a difficult recipe to mess up. Yes, it may not always come out looking beautiful, but all of the flavors go so well together that it will still taste delicious if it comes out as a messy blob on your plate…so stop worrying!
You may have noticed that instead of noodles I used zucchini – honestly you don’t miss the pasta. Zucchini is a great substitute as so is eggplant – use eggplant and you most likely will come out with eggplant parmesan – yum!
A couple of important things here – the sauce is thick because it needs to be. Don’t go putting water or more crushed tomatoes in there to thin it out, mmk? Also, let the lasagna REST for a long time…as along as you can before you serve it otherwise it will be runny. The zucchini does not soak up any of the moisture…it actually does the opposite which is why we want a thick sauce. Get it?!
This is a great meal for leftovers or to make ahead, pop in the refrigerator overnight and re-heat the next day. The flavors have even more time to come together and you will not have a runny lasagna. It’s also great cold so if you can’t re-heat it at work or something, now worries.
Cheesy goodness. I love it.
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 30 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 ounces tomato paste (I used half of a 6 ounce can)
- ¼ cup red wine
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 3 shakes)
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 23 ounces part skim ricotta cheese (I used a 15 ounce container plus half of a 16 ounce container - if it's not exact, it's okay)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
- 3 Zucchini, sliced ⅛ inch (I used a mandolin)
- 1 bag part skim mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese for the top of the lasagna
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add chopped onion and garlic, saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Break up beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Add the rest of ingredients, tomatoes, cheese, wine, and seasonings, spices and herbs. Stir and simmer for 30 minutes (careful not to burn the bottom).
- While the sauce is cooking, prepare the cheese filling by adding all the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until combined.
- After the sauce has simmered, prepare the lasagna by placing a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Next add a layer of zucchini (some may overlap), then add a layer of the ricotta cheese and sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese on top. Continue with two more layers of zucchini, cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauce. Top off the lasagna with a last layer of sauce, sprinkle more mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese on top. Spray a piece of tin foil with non-stick spray and cover lasagna. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake lasagna for 10 more minutes. Finally turn over to broil at 525 degrees and broil lasagna until top is browned and bubbly. Let stand for 30 minutes or longer before serving. If you don't let the lasagna sit, it will be runny.
Source: Stuck on Sweet

I could use a big bowl of this lasagna! I have always wanted to try zucchini lasagna but have yet. It is on my list!