This is not your average watery, soggy, zucchini noodle lasagna. It has creamy layers of cheese and basil, pressed between tender zucchini ribbons with touches of tomato, garlic, oregano and chillis. Topped with a golden, cheesy crust, it melts in your mouth. The zucchini is so subtle you barely know it’s there. Perfect for family gatherings and cold winter evenings it’s safe to say this will be a hit on any occasion. This recipe does require a little more attention and time but is well worth the effort. It also freezes and reheats beautifully and makes an excellent last minute dinner or lunch served a nice pile of leafy greens and extra virgin olive oil. Sweating and baking the zucchini noodles seems tedious and you're going to want to skip it but don’t! This is the step that will prevent this lasagna from getting watery, mushy and gummy. It's essential! To double the recipe (recommended), bake in a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.
Overview
- Classic Lasagna
- Serves 6
- Level 4
- Active time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Inactive time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Noodles
- 1 1/2 lbs. zucchini, ~ 4 zucchinis
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 14 ounces (1 3/4 cup) strained, unsweetened tomatoes
- 1 large pastured egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup (250g) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 cups organic, grated full-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup organic, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
Step by Step Directions
Make the noodles: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Trim top and bottom ends of zucchinis. Using a mandoline, flat vegetable peeler or sharp knife, slice zucchinis lengthwise into flat, long, noodle-like strips, 1/8" thick. Lay slices on baking sheets, sprinkle generously with salt. Let them sweat for 10 minutes. Press with paper towel to absorb water; place in oven for 10 minutes to dry out. Remove from oven; set aside.
Make the sauce: Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Mix, using a wooden spoon until just fragrant, 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 10 cracks black pepper. Mix, allowing to cook down, thicken and reduce, 5-7 minutes.
Make the ricotta filling: Combine egg, basil, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in large bowl. Add pinch of salt and pepper; mix well.
Assemble lasagna: Place 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of a 2 1/2 quart baking dish; spread. Layer zucchini strips on top of sauce to form one even layer; spread 1/2 cup ricotta filling on top. Sprinkle 1/4 of leftover mozzarella and parmesan cheeses; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat process adding sauce, zucchini, ricotta, cheese, salt and pepper 2-3 more times until you run out of ingredients. Reserve leftover cheese to sprinkle on top.
Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered for 30 mins. Turn oven to broil and broil for another 3-4 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly on top. Remove from oven; cool for 10-15 mins. Top with extra basil, serve.
Nutritional Ingredients
Number of Servings: 6 (321.54 g per serving)
Nutrients per serving
- Protein 30.61 g
- Calories 401.33 kcal
- Carbohydrates 17.63 g
- Fat 25.71 g
- Net Carbs 13.66 g