Egg-Free, Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna

My poor husband arrived home early from work, sick with a miserable cold. I made him a warm cup of apple cider vinegar and honey for his cold, and just served him up a plate of homemade zucchini lasagna for his tummy. That ought to make him feel a little better.

The recipe is from my challenge cookbook The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Cook by Donna Klein, on page 130.

If you are hoping to drop a few pounds this winter, as I am, then recipes that are satisfying, nutritious and lower in calories are the ticket. Klein's lasagna recipe is egg, gluten and pasta free!

Reserve 4 large zucchini from your garden or when shopping at your local produce stand or market, pick up four (4) 7-8 ounce organic zucchinis. If you have the time to make your own spaghetti sauce, all the better.

Because there are neither eggs nor pasta to thicken this dish, the lasagna has more of a soupy consistency, but also more flavor. I recommending serving it up in individual pasta bowls.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, unpeeled, trimmed and cut into 1/8 inch lengthwise slices
1 cup non-fat ricotta cheese, gluten-free
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, gluten-free
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
26-ounce jar of pasta sauce (preferably tomato basil)
8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella, gluten-free
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, gluten-free

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
2. Fill stock pot with water and bring to a boil.
3. Lightly oil a 13x9 baking dish.
4. Add zucchini to the boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside on paper towels to dry.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta and cottage cheeses, parsley, salt and pepper.
6. In another bowl mix together the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
   
7. Make layers in the baking dish in this order: 1/3 of the zucchini, half of the pasta sauce, 1/3 of the zucchini, all of the ricotta and cottage cheese mixture, half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese mixture, the remaining 1/3 zucchini, the remaining pasta sauce, and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan mixture.
   
8. Cover with a lid or an oiled piece of foil (use wax paper first, if the cover will touch the top of the lasagna).
9. Bake covered for 35-minutes and uncovered for an additional 7-10 minutes.
10. I recommend finish the cooking time by leaving the lasagna under the broiler for 3 minutes.
    
11. Let rest 10-minutes, before cutting and serving in pasta bowls.

Serves 6

Note: Klein's recipe is ideal for serving during summer zucchini harvest time. She says you can prepare this dish 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. If you do, add 15 more minutes to the cooking time.