Usually I want to leave the traditional recipes alone – I mean, as fatty or heavy they are, I prefer to have them that way and concentrate on other recipes when I want to eat something leaner. But this time I just had to give it a try. I’m so happy I did, I doubt we’ll have traditional lasagna in a while now that we have this recipe!
Since the first time I tried this zucchini lasagna, I’ve made it for family gatherings and also to surprise my lovely neighbor on her birthday. It has been a huge success every time, and these days I always have the recipe at hand because I know people are going to beg for it!
Ingredients
2 1⁄2 cups zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1⁄2 lb lean ground beef
2 small tomatoes, cut up
1⁄4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil
1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 cup water
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
1 Eggland’s egg
3⁄4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1⁄2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use 8 oz. divided)
1 teaspoon Gold Medal all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Boil zucchini slices for a few minutes until tender, drain and set aside. Fry the ground beef and onions until meat is brown and onions are tender; drain any excess fat. Add next 8 ingredients (through pepper) and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 9-10 minutes, until reduced to about 2 cups.
In a small bowl slightly beat egg. Add cottage cheese, half of shredded cheese and flour.
In a1 1/2-qt. greased baking pan arrange half of the meat mixture. Top with half of the boiled zucchini slices and all the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining meat and zucchini.
Bake uncovered at 375F for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer until cheese has melted.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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Quick tip: Add more garlic if you’d like a stronger flavor!
