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Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Should we dare to try something new or our pride is too strong to let us conquer the unknown? Zucchini lasagna is as tasty as the known!

Knowledge, much like a magic ring of power, is a dangerous tool that slowly able to take over our mind. It can fill us with thoughts of grandeur and glory and once we choose to walk on that path our pride is what holds the thread of balance between success or doom.

Curiously such paths are treacherous not because of the difficulties that could lay ahead of us but rather because our own perception of the road itself and the way we are able to judge our abilities.

Do we have what it takes?

It’s easy to sway from dignity to pride but stepping to the side of dignity from the realm of pride is a much more humbling experience. It takes a lot of soul searching to recognize our own true abilities once our pride has been notched by the harsh edge of reality.

Many of us who built their world on their pride crumble from the gravity of humiliation, the road of knowledge puts on the unsuspecting traveler. As painful as this is though, it’s completely normal in our overly protective world where struggle for many of us means eating avocado or even worse some salad with our meals.

It ain’t about how hard one can hit, it’s about how hard one can get hit and keep moving forward.

Does zucchini have what it takes?

Even though pride is on the list of the 7 deadly sins, we shouldn’t be ashamed to take on its mantle once in a while to open the gate for path of dreams that would be locked forever otherwise. What other way many of the greatest discoveries could have occurred without pride in our own abilities to get started and our trust in our persistence to keep going.

Just think about Christopher Columbus first journey through the Atlantic. How different our life and more importantly our cuisine would be. No tomatoes, potatoes and no zucchini either.

How has travel changed zucchini?

Zucchini is form Americas. More precisely, its ancestor the pumpkin is from Meso-America but once it set on an epic journey on the ships of the Spanish conquistadores, its fate changed forever. Once the ancestor of zucchini arrived at Italy and felt all the love and care that only the Italian soil could provide quickly took roots there.

During the years that not only zucchini changed the habits and cuisine of its new home, but it also changed. It changed so much that it was clearly distinguishable from its ancestor.

It’s no wonder though. Anyone who goes to Italy -or in fact any country- going through changes once the doors are open. First, we simply absorb it through the flavors of our food that were unknown or maybe familiar but somehow unrecognizable, more pronounced in the new context.

How did the language change zucchini?

Much like the language that we may have learnt in the coziness of our own land. Once we are in the country of its origin, we realize that all those saddle movements, those tiny curvature of our lips, how much difference could make between staring blankly at each other or laughing together as best friends.

Learning a new language is not only a tool for communication but it’s a new experience where we learn about the culture itself too. As we understand the expressions the words carry, we are getting familiar with the thought process of the people carrying those thoughts.

The more time we spend in this new world, the more thoughts we carry with ourselves throughout the day and more we are shaped by them. Until one day when we go back to our homeland. we are not even recognized and called zucchini.

Does zucchini lasagne exist at all?

Interestingly, zucchini is just an Italian word for pumpkin, but no one seems to care about it more than we do for the fact that lasagna is actually the flat and wide type of pasta that is used in the dish we call lasagna.

While knowledge is power, ignorance seems like blessing. Especially when we need to feed our kids vegetables and they are happy to eat lasagna made of zucchini.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom

Ingredients

  • 3 Zucchinis
  • 4 oz / 100g Bacon or pancetta (diced)
  • 2 Onion (diced)
  • 1 Carrot (diced)
  • 2 Celery stalks (diced)
  • 2 lb / 1000g Ground meat
  • 1/2 cup / 125ml Water or white wine
  • 2 lb / 800g Tomato puree
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 6 piece Black pepper (whole)
  • 1/2 cup / 125ml Milk
  • 1lb / 500g Ricotta cheese
  • Herbs of choice:
    • Oregano
    • Basil
    • Parsley
  • 1lb / 500 Mozzarella (sliced)

How to make Zucchini lasagana

Preparation

    1. Slice the zucchinis.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
    2. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on them then let them sit for at least half an hour.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
    3. Cut the Bacon, pancetta or any other type of pork fat that we can use as lardon. We can substitute it with a tablespoon of fat or cooking oil, as well. No harm would be done.Pancetta Guanciale Bacon gp SunCakeMom
    4. Place them into a frying pan and preferably on low to medium heat, render the fat out.Pancetta Guanciale Bacon gp SunCakeMom
    5.  Add onion, carrot and celery then saute with the bacon on high heat for about 5 minutes until the onion gets a slight translucent/glassy look.Glassy-onion-celery-carrot-bacon-gp-SunCakeMom
    6. Add the ground meat. Mix it well with the vegetables then cook it for 10-15 minutes while stirring it often until all the bigger chunks are falling into smaller pieces. At this point the beef should lose all its pinkness and it’s browned properly.Cabbage-lasagna-recipe-Proces-8-SunCakeMom
    7. Add the water or wine, tomatoes, salt, black pepper and milk. Mix it well together, put the lid on and simmer it for 4 hours on low heat, stirring occasionally. Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
    8. For more detailed instructions for the filling, check out how to make Bolognese sauce a.k.a Ragu. If our patience is wearing thin then use pureed tomato and cook it only for about 30 minutes before getting it ready for layering.Cabbage-lasagna-recipe-Proces-13-SunCakeMom
    9. Mix finely cut oregano, basil or herbs of choice with the ricotta cheese in a bowl.Cabbage-lasagna-recipe-Proces-12-SunCakeMom
    10. Slice the mozzarella up.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom

Assembly

  1. Remove the water from the zucchini and optionally tap them dry too.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  2. Spread some sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  3. Place the first layer of zucchini on the sauce.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  4. Spread some ricotta cheese on the zucchini slices evenly. We will need the cheese for 3-4 layers depending on the size of the dish. Place the mozzarella slices on top of the ricotta cheese.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  5. Ladle tomato sauce on top and spread it evenly out.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  6. Continue with the layers until the top of the casserole dish has been reached. The top should only have cheese.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  7. Place it in a 390°F / 200°C oven until the top of the cheese gets a golden brown color for about 30 minutes. Let it cool and settle the flavors before serving.Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom

Enjoy!

Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom

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Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Should we dare to try something new or our pride is too strong to let us conquer the unknown? Zucchini lasagna is as tasty as the known!
Course Low Carb Meal, Main Course, Meal
Cuisine Gluten free, Keto, Low carb recipe, Sugar free recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

  • 3 Zucchinis
  • 4 oz / 100g Bacon or pancetta diced
  • 2 Onion diced
  • 1 Carrot diced
  • 2 Celery stalks diced
  • 2 lb / 1000g Ground meat
  • ½ cup / 125ml Water or white wine
  • 2 lb / 800g Tomato puree
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 6 piece Black pepper whole
  • ½ cup / 125ml Milk
  • 1 lb / 500g Ricotta cheese
  • Herbs of choice:
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Parsley
  • 1 lb / 500 Mozzarella sliced

Instructions

Preparation

  • Slice the zucchinis.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on them then let them sit for at least half an hour.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Cut the Bacon, pancetta or any other type of pork fat that we can use as lardon. We can substitute it with a tablespoon of fat or cooking oil, as well. No harm would be done.
    Pancetta Guanciale Bacon gp SunCakeMom
  • Place them into a frying pan and preferably on low to medium heat, render the fat out.
    Pancetta Guanciale Bacon gp SunCakeMom
  • Add onion, carrot and celery then saute with the bacon on high heat for about 5 minutes until the onion gets a slight translucent/glassy look.
    Glassy-onion-celery-carrot-bacon-gp-SunCakeMom
  • Add the ground meat. Mix it well with the vegetables then cook it for 10-15 minutes while stirring it often until all the bigger chunks are falling into smaller pieces. At this point the beef should lose all its pinkness and it’s browned properly.
    Mirepoix-brown-ground-meat-SunCakeMom
  • Add the water or wine, tomatoes, salt, black pepper and milk. Mix it well together, put the lid on and simmer it for 4 hours on low heat, stirring occasionally.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • For more detailed instructions for the filling, check out how to make Bolognese sauce a.k.a Ragu. If our patience is wearing thin then use pureed tomato and cook it only for about 30 minutes before getting it ready for layering.
    Lasagna-recipe-Proces-13-SunCakeMom
  • Mix finely cut oregano, basil or herbs of choice with the ricotta cheese in a bowl.
    Ricotta-basil-oregano-SunCakeMom
  • Slice the mozzarella up.
    Slice-mozarella-gp-SunCakeMom

Assembly

  • Remove the water from the zucchini and optionally tap them dry too.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Spread some sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Place the first layer of zucchini on the sauce.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Spread some ricotta cheese on the zucchini slices evenly. We will need the cheese for 3-4 layers depending on the size of the dish. Place the mozzarella slices on top of the ricotta cheese.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Ladle tomato sauce on top and spread it evenly out.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Continue with the layers until the top of the casserole dish has been reached. The top should only have cheese.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom
  • Place it in a 390°F / 200°C oven until the top of the cheese gets a golden brown color for about 30 minutes. Let it cool and settle the flavors before serving.
    Zucchini lasagna recipe - SunCakeMom

Notes

Enjoy!

 

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