You don’t need pasta to make lasagna taste great. Enjoy the flavor of spicy (or mild Italian sausage) in this no-noodle lasagna recipe filled with cheese and vegetables. The bake will produce a rich vegetable broth that can be spooned over each serving.
Ingredients
3 – 4 large zucchini
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
24 oz. jar of organic tomato sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 egg
1 (15 ounce) container of whole fat ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (fresh is best)
1 (16 ounce) package organic baby spinach
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Grease a 10.5 x 14.75 x 2.25-inch baking pan. (Note: A deep 9 x 13-inch pan will work. If you use this size, there is some risk of overflow during baking. Put a catch-pan or aluminum foil below the baking dish.)
- Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.
- Brown the sausage. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until sausage is browned. Drain off the excess fluid.
- Add the jar of tomato sauce and crushed red peppers. Simmer sauce for about 10 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 the prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 of the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms and then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.
- Spread the parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with a foil tent. (The tent is made by putting toothpicks in the lasagna to keep the parmesan from sticking to the foil during baking.)
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 8 to 10
~ Deb Croarkin
