Through my food obsession on Pinterest I discovered an alternative to traditional lasagna made with noodles. Replace the noodles with zucchini and presto you have gluten-free dinner! For me it wasn't about it being gluten-free, just about trying something new. And, well, I am converted!
I have always loathed making lasagna since it can be time consuming. And I hate to break it to you but this is no different. So I broke it down into a 2 day ordeal. Day one, make the sauce then refrigerate it overnight. Day deux, assemble, bake and mange.
I made this recipe straight up with raw zucchini, so it was a bit watery but nothing off-putting. If you have *more* time you can try grilling the zucchini first.
Now's a good excuse to get that mandolin you've been eyeing up... I've had one for a few years, and I rarely break it out, but now I WILL! Slicing the zucchini was awesome on this thang (slicing potatoes for gratin is my next favourite on this tool).
Give this lasagna a whirl and feel free to adjust, replace and customize as you see fit for your family. Btw, don't tell your family there's no noddles, I bet they don't even notice ;)
My Sauce
1tbsp coconut oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
½ tsp each dried oregano, basil and chili
flakes
Salt & pepper
1 large jar marinara sauce (like Costco
large)
Finely chop all produce.
Heat coconut oil in large heavy bottom pot,
add ground chicken to brown taking care to break it up as you stir.
Stir in onion and garlic and sauté for 2
minutes.
Stir in carrot, celery, herbs and salt
and pepper to taste.
Add the marinara, bring to a boil, turn
down heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Let cool.
Lasagna
3 long zucchini
1 ball mozzarella
½ cup cheddar
½ cup parmesan
Sliced black olives
Pasta sauce
Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, thinly
slice (1/8”) the zucchini lengthwise.
Grate all cheese.
To assemble:
In a 9x13 pan spoon a wee bit of the sauce just
to cover the bottom.
Layer in zucchini like you would lasagna
noodles.
Top with a ½ the pasta sauce, half the
cheddar & parmesan.
Another layer of zucchini.
Top with ALL of the olives, the rest of the pasta sauce and the rest of the cheddar & parm.
Another layer of zucchini.
Finish with the Mozza! Load 'er on!
Cover with foil and bake at 350C for 45
minutes.
Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes
until cheese is browned and bubbling, sometimes I turn on broil for a few
minutes, but watch it doesn’t burn!
Let cool 15 minutes, yes let it cool!
Then…ENJOY!
