Hearty Zucchini Lasagna

It’s time to reinvent one of your favorite comfort meals but with a wonderful helping of vegetables added too with this Hearty Zucchini Lasagna.  I’m sharing this recipe in partnership with Pompeian Oils, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This past year, my husband and I have set out to make some delicious food but adapt it just a bit to make it a little bit better for us.  One way we did that with this delicious lasagna was to use zucchini instead of pasta.  Now, we do love it with pasta too but with the gardening season coming up, I know that I’ll have lots of zucchini to use, so I thought this would be the perfect recipe for that.  The best part was adding that delicious Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil to each slice of zucchini.  It took the zucchini to a whole new level of delicious.

Typically when I make a veggie filled lasagna, I seem to always use eggplant; however, I have noticed since making zoodles that zucchini is a great option.  Then, I chose the Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it has a bit more of a powerful taste to it.  It is fruity but with an overtone of a fresh cut grass taste then the aftertaste is more of a nutty taste.  It pairs perfectly as a nice glaze onto the zucchini.  I glazed each slice as I put it into the dish.  Pompeian is a Non-GMO, organic product plus it contains the USDA seal as well.  Pompeian provides the best quality of olive oil and it’s perfect for this meal.  I layered the dish with a ground turkey and marinara plus cheese.

The key to using a vegetable in place of pasta in a dish like this is to really get as much water out of the vegetables as possible.  Once I sliced the zucchini, I salted it and let it sit for a while to get the water out, then I used a paper towel to dry each piece.  Once it was half way through the cooking time, I carefully poured out as much water as possible.  I did this again after the cooking was complete; however, you need to be very careful so you don’t loose part of the dish either.  This is the inevitable though because vegetables do contain quite a bit of water to them.

I actually made a full 9×13 dish of this and my family was over and there wasn’t a drop left.  The kids even ate all of theirs too and that says a lot with my kids.  They are not vegetable lovers, but they gladly cleared their plates this time.  I’m already looking forward to making this again especially with garden-fresh vegetables this summer.

What types of hearty meals do you love to make?  Do you recreate them with a better-for-you option?  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Pompeian understands that mealtime is about experimenting with the latest food trends and creating shareable meals that are Instagram-worthy dishes!  Right now, you can follow along on Instagram at #TrendingintheKitchen for the latest creations and recipe ideas that will help you explore new flavors and ingredients.

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Created by: Kristy Still

Zucchini Lasagna

Servings 8 +

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 Medium Sized Zucchini Sliced Lengthwise
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Dried Rosemary
• 1 Lb Ground Turkey
• 1/4 Cup Sweet Onion Diced
• 26 oz Marinara Sauce
• 16 oz Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
• Grated Parmesan
• Fresh Mozzarella

Instructions

• Once the zucchini sliced, place in a strainer and add about a teaspoon of salt.  Let this sit for 30 minutes to drain out water.
• While it is sitting, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, and rosemary in a small dish, set aside.
• Using a medium skillet on medium-high heat, brown the turkey and drain if needed.
• Add the turkey back to the skillet and mix in the onion and marinara, let it heat through and set aside.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray or olive oil spray.
• Take each slice of zucchini and wipe it with a paper towel to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, place on the bottom of the dish, then brush with the olive oil mixture.  Repeat this for the rest of the zucchini.
• Top the zucchini with a layer of the meat mixture, then half the cottage cheese and an even dash of Parmesan cheese, plus mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat the layers and finish with another layer of zucchini.
• On top of the last layer of zucchini, add in more fresh mozzarella.
• Bake for 45 minutes until well done.
• Once done, place on broil on low for 5 minutes to toast the mozzarella.
• Remove and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 8+

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