There are certain foods/meals that we always try to keep on hand in our house. I find myself making this Zucchini Lasagna pretty much weekly to allow for an easy, quick, and nutritious lunch or supper option that is always in the refrigerator and ready to simply reheat and enjoy. Neither John nor I mind leftovers or eating certain foods on repeat, especially when they are this filling and tasty! And best of all, this meal can come together in about an hour and will make 8-10 servings, depending on the slice size you prefer. Check out the recipe below and give this a try. Let us know what you think!
Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients:
· 3-4 medium size zucchini, cut into thin strips
· 1 lb lean ground beef
· 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
· 1 24 oz. jar of pasta sauce (we LOVE The Pioneer Woman Rustic Bolognese pasta sauce)
· 1 15 oz. container of whole milk ricotta cheese
· Shredded mozzarella cheese
Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Place zucchini strips on greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until steaming and fork tender. Remove from oven.
3. In a skillet, brown the ground beef and ground sausage together until cooked thoroughly. Drain off all excess grease.
4. Add pasta sauce to pan with meat, stir to combine.
5. Spray/grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 (or close in size) pan. Begin to layer the lasagna by placing the cooked strips of zucchini to cover the bottom of the pan. Next add a layer of the meat sauce to cover the zucchini layer. Dot the top of the meat sauce layer with ½ container of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of that layer to cover. Repeat steps for a second layer making sure to add plenty of mozzarella cheese to completely cover the top of the lasagna.
6. Bake lasagna, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until it is bubbling and the cheese is starting to brown on the top. If you really like the cheese to harden and crisp up, turn the oven to broil mode on HI for 2-3 minutes before removing from the oven-but keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn under the broiler.
I will keep this in the refrigerator covered with foil and pack a slice in a container in John’s lunch box for the day or I will reheat in the oven at 300 degrees for 10-20 minutes for myself for supper during the week.
Enjoy!
