Cook-free Zucchini Style Lasagna

Noodle-Free, Hearty Veggie Lasagna

Cook-free Zucchini Style Lasagna

Something fresh is brewing in the kitchen! Ditch the pasta and say hello to ribbons of roasted zucchini in this vegetable-packed, carb-light lasagna. No need to fret about gluten; this recipe is allergy-friendly!

Ingredients (19)

Saucy Starter:

• Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
• Yellow onion, 1/2, diced finely
• Garlic, 1 clove, minced
• Red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon
• Tomato sauce, 1 can (14.5 oz)
• Capers, 1 tablespoon
• Salt, 1/2 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning

Cheesy Filling:

• Cottage cheese, 1 pound
• Parmesan cheese, 1 cup, finely grated (about 3 oz)
• Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
• Black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon, freshly ground

Veggie Stars:

• Zucchini, 1 1/2 pounds, ends trimmed and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
• Olive oil, 3 tablespoons
• Cremini mushrooms, 1 3/4 pounds, stems trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Artichoke hearts, 8 ounces, frozen, thawed, dried, and chopped coarsely
• Flour, 1 tablespoon, all-purpose

Assemble & Bake:

• Mozzarella cheese, 1 pound (whole milk), shredded (about 4 cups)

What's in the Cart?

During the summer months, choose zucchini over yellow or crookneck squash for this recipe. Hearty zucchini stands strong against the roasting heat and doesn't stick to the baking sheet.

Game Plan

For a tantalizing gluten-free lasagna, replace the flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground arrowroot or cornstarch! Yield: 8-12 servings 🍽️🍴🥘

Instructions

Saucy Starter:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, dividing the racks into thirds.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, allowing it to shimmer. Sauté the diced onion, seasoning it, and cook until softened, approximately 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato sauce, capers, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors meld and sauce thickens slightly, around 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, prepare the cheesy filling and cook the veggies!

Cheesy Filling:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Veggie Stars:

1. Arrange the zucchini slices on 2 baking sheets in a single layer, overlapping if needed. Bake until softened and pliable, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Remove the baking sheets and let them cool on wire racks. Move the upper rack to the middle of the oven.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, allowing it to shimmer. Add half the mushrooms, seasoning them, and cook until golden brown, approximately 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. In the same pan, heat the last tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the artichoke hearts, seasoning them, and cook until lightly browned, around 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and toss to evenly coat.

Assemble & Bake:

1. Add 1 1/4 cups of the sauce to the mushroom-artichoke mixture and toss to coat evenly.
2. Spread the remaining tomato sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish.
3. Scatter a quarter of the mushroom-artichoke mixture over the sauce in an even layer. Place a quarter of the zucchini slices in a single layer over the mixture. Using a small spoon, dollop a third of the cottage cheese filling evenly over the zucchini and flatten the dollops with the back of the spoon. Evenly sprinkle a quarter of the mozzarella over the cottage cheese filling.
4. Make 2 more layers of the mushroom-artichoke mixture, zucchini slices, cottage cheese filling, and mozzarella. Make a final layer with the remaining zucchini slices, the mushroom-artichoke mixture, and the mozzarella (alternating layers keeps the zucchini from burning!).
5. Bake uncovered until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the top is browned, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Delicious Variations

• In the Cheesy Filling section, opt for ricotta cheese for a creamier texture instead of cottage cheese.
• For a kicked-up heat, fold in 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes into the Cheesy Filling and add an extra 1/4 teaspoon to the Saucy Starter.
• Substitute the cremini mushrooms with portobello mushrooms for a meatier flavor.

1. The recipe calls for adding zucchini ribbons instead of noodles, creating a unique twist in the Noodle-Free, Hearty Veggie Lasagna.
2. To make the dish gluten-free, replace the flour with ground arrowroot or cornstarch in the veggie stars section of the instructions.
3. When overlapping the zucchini slices for baking, ensure there is some space for even cooking, as if the layers stick together too much, it might cause uneven cooking or burning of the vegetables.

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