This summer my mother bought 40 pounds of zucchini at her local farmer’s market and drove 20 pounds to my house. We love zucchini, but it took some creativity to find a way to use 20 pounds of it! We love this zucchini lasagna so much that I’ve made it four times in the past two months. The first time I ever made it, I used the zucchini Mom brought us and fresh basil from our garden. I love the summer time when we have tons of fresh herbs growing out back!
I’ve made this recipe with a few different variations, including topping it with simple jarred marinara, topping it with some Lamb Ragu, or using fresh pesto to mix in with the ricotta for the lasagna “filling.” Each way, it was delicious.
Ingredients
Olive oil spray
4-5 medium zucchini, cut into strips with a vegetable peeler
2 cups ricotta
½ cup freshly grated parmesan (you can use pre-grated too, I did and it turned out fine)
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup fresh basil, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1.5 cups marinara
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a large baking dish down with olive oil spray. Make your zucchini noodle strips by using a vegetable peeler, peel until you reach the seedy center of the zucchini. These are your lasagna “noodles.”
Next, make the filling by combining in a medium bowl the ricotta, parmesan, egg, most of the basil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
To assemble the ravioli, lay two strips of zucchini noodles (stacked one on top of the other) down on a cutting board, and then another two strips stacked perpendicular to the first two strips. You should end up with a cross or “T” shape. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the T, and bring the ends of the strips together and fold over to the center. Turn the packet over and place in the baking dish seam-side down. Repeat until you are all out of zucchini and filling!
Then, top the dish with marinara (and more cheese if you want – parmesan or mozzarella would be good), and bake for 25-30 minutes. Top with the remaining basil and serve!
SO GOOD and fresh tasting! This is going into my regular rotation of dishes. It wouldn’t be the same without fresh basil though, so it might be more of a summer dish.
Nichelle Ley, Chef J.D. 