No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

By janicecraig

Zucchini makes a great substitute for pasta in this scrumptious low carb version of lasagna. Serve with a salad for nutritious and delicious meal!

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 egg
• 1 (15-ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.

Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices and put on cookie sheet with cooking spray in a single layer. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; then put in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes (start to turn brown). Pull them out, pat with paper towels, leave on paper towels until ready to put in lasagna. This removes almost all of the water from them.

To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350°F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.