The Challenge: Take a classic recipe, and make a healthier version.
That was the assignment my son, Nick’s girlfriend, Liz, had for her final assignment in a cooking class she is taking as part of her Master’s Degree Program in Nutrition.
We were excited to help her out and have her cook dinner for us last evening.
And she rocked it! This Zucchini Lasagna recipe is a KEEPER! I do believe I like it even better than the classic version.
Liz was sweet enough to allow me to photograph her and share the adventure and recipe here with all of you.
One of the joys of cooking is appreciating and embracing the fresh ingredients that make a recipe so wonderful – like the smell of fresh basil.
And the only thing better than smelling fresh basil is the smell of sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil!
For the meat sauce, Liz used lean ground turkey instead of beef or sausage, and when mixed with crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, onions and garlic, you would never know you are “missing” anything – except you get the bonus of less fat and calories!
This adorable amateur in the kitchen totally mastered using a mandolin (which she formerly only knew as a musical instrument 🙂 ) to perfectly slice the zucchini to replace the pasta noodles.
And of course Mikey was on his steadfast “clean the floor” duty making sure no crumb is left behind (and yes – he even likes raw zucchini).
This recipe even includes mastering the grill, so Nick was in charge of instructions here, and the zucchini strips were char-grilled beautifully.
Yummy ricotta and Parmesan cheeses are mixed with some parsley, salt, pepper, and an egg for the traditional filling.
Everything was layered, using the zucchini strips as “noodles” and topped with fresh slices of mozzarella for that extra yumminess.
And who can’t resist an extra sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan on top before diving in?!
Here is the recipe Liz used as adapted from Skinnytaste.com:
Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 4 medium zucchini, sliced thin
- 24 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried parsley
- 1 1/2 lbs. part-skim fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 large egg
Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, brown ground turkey. Season with salt. Remove from pan to bowl, and add olive oil to the pan. Saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes, covered.
While sauce is simmering, slice zucchini into 1/8″ thin slices. Salt lightly, and set aside for 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out some of the moisture. After about 10 minutes, aggressively blot excess moisture with a paper towel.
On a gas grill or grill pan, grill zucchini on each side, until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Stir together ricotta and Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg in a medium bowl.
With zucchini, sauce, and cheese mixture complete, you are ready to begin assembling the lasagna.
In a 9×12 inch casserole, spread half the sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place the ricotta cheese mixture topped with half of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat with remaining sauce, another layer of zucchini, mozzarella and a bit of extra Parmesan.
Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover, and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving to “set.”
ENJOY!
Thanks, Liz, for being such a good sport and for being such a bright spot in our lives. We love you! 🙂
And you all are going to love this recipe!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 
Wow, seems delicious! I should try this one too. I baked the cake with the mini eggs using your recipe, my kids ate so fast I didn’t have time for the photo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liz is just darling! And Mikey too. I saw you back there waiting for something to hit the floor. Just like Max! Anyway, this recipe sounds delish and thanks for the recipe. I’m terrified of my mandolin, by the way. Roger bought it and he is the only one to use it. I feel as though I would surely lose a thumb using the thing, I’m such a klutz.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes she sure is, and Mikey appreciates the recognition too. I am so very blessed and fortunate to have them both in the kitchen 🙂
LikeLike
Like Mikey, I am always on clean-up duty whenever something’s cooking in the kitchen. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good for you Albert – it is an important and appreciated job! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this post! Wow, Liz is brave to enter Kitchenista territory and make a dish. This does look scrumptious. I love the picture of her smelling the basil. Boy, something we can all relate to. She’s also very beautiful, and seems like a sweetheart. I also loved the picture of Mikey in the background! Hehe. :))
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome to my blessed amazing world 🙂 She is a sweetie, and Mikey is my baby 🙂 I am a very lucky Kitchenista!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That you are! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just realized that didn’t sound like I meant for it to come across….. I didn’t mean to “brag” – just meant to say how fortunate I am….
Hope that is how it sounded. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries, I totally understand! I feel the same.
LikeLiked by 1 person
TY 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
De nada
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your daughter-in-law is adorable! The zuchinni lasagna looks so delicioius! What a great idea. This recipe is going to be a keeper for me. I have large whiskey barrels on my patio that I use to grow a few vegetables. I will be growing zuchinni in one of them!
LikeLike
Thanks PJ! Liz is Nick’s Girlfriend, and she is a sweetheart! What a fun way to grow your zucchini! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is. I grew yellow squash last year. This year I think I i will have both Zuchinni and Yellow Squash.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How do you like to prepare your yellow squash?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like to cut it up and saute’ it in butter with salt and pepper. That’s it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is all I have ever done, so I was just wondering 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Growing up my mom use to boil it and add cheese and salt and pepper. That was the only way we would eat it. That’s really good but it takes too long and is fattening.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep – that sounds familiar 🙂 Was always kinda “mushy” and really cooked all the flavor out too…
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, it did but it tasted good to us and the “texture” was right. (You know how kids are about textures and tastes).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your daughter in law is so sweet about letting you take pics 🙂 She looks sweet too! GL to her in school! Yes this Zucchini Lasagna is delish! I have made it before, its naturally gluten free which I love 🙂 Tho they are making a lot better gluten free pasta now which is nice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi JR – She’s not my Daughter-in-law (yet??!?) – but she is a sweetie, and I would be thrilled if she is some day – but for now – we are enjoying our time with her and we had fun making this, and it was yummy! 🙂
LikeLike
WHOOPS! I am sorry! Hey maybe i can foretell the future and don’t know it, LOL! 🙂 I have had dreams come true 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have made many versions of vegetable lasagna, but never with grilled vegetables, wow, I bet that really adds a whole new dimension of flavor! I shall have to try ground turkey too, I usually either skip the meat or use a little sausage. Thanks for sharing, she’s adorable!
Jenna
LikeLike