Zucchini "lasagna"

After a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner complete with mashed potatoes, stuffing, "Field Roast Grain Meat celebration roast," squash, corn casserole, green bean casserole, pumpkin cheesecake (one of my specialties!), pumpkin pie, and even more, we needed a veg-heavy meal! So, after a trip to the supermarket, I made this...

Zucchini Lasagna & Homemade Sauce

For the Sauce:
Olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. pesto
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 large onion
10 oz. mushrooms
1 bunch kale
4 cans Diced Tomatoes (the smaller, soup sized cans)
1 can Tomato paste
1 small Parmesano-Reggiano rind without a label OR 1/2 cup. parmesan (mine was about 1" x 2")

Lasagna:
4 rather large zucchini (I baked 3 large sheet pans full)
1-2 cups shredded part skim mozzerella
1 cup. part skim ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan

To make the sauce:
1. Dice onions, mushrooms and kale. Saute onions a few minutes, then add mushrooms and kale.
2. Add all tomato products and spices.
3. Let simmer, covered for one hour. Drink a glass of wine during this time, and prepare your zucchini.
4. Cool so you could taste a big spoonful without melting the roof off of your mouth.
5. In small batches (2 cups max), use your blender to puree the sauce. This helps hide the kale from your husband, who swears he can't stand the stuff but it's so incredibly nutritious, I can't seem to live without it! (If you have an immersion blender, you can also use that. An immersion blender is on my Christmas list!)
6. Once all is pureed, you can either put it back in your pot to simmer, or let it cool. Either way is perfectly fine!

To prepare the zucchini:
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Slice the zucchini thin - 1/4 inch is perfect.
3. Line sheet pan(s) with parchment paper and lay a single layer of zucchini. Spray with cooking spray, we use Pam.
4. Sprinkle a generous amount of oregano and garlic on them.
5. Bake the zucchini for 20-25 minutes. You want it to be soft, and maybe even a bit browned.

To prepare lasagna in 9 x 13 pan:
1. Spoon a light layer of sauce on the bottom of your pan.
2. Cover with a single layer of zucchini.
3. Dot with little spots of ricotta (about 1 teaspoon per dot on every other zucchini round is good).
4. Spoon a layer of sauce on, then sprinkle with mozzarella.
5.Repeat steps 2-4 until you're on your last layer of zucchini.
6. Once you've laid your last layer of zucchini, add a layer of sauce, then mozzarella and a light sprinkling of parmesan. Then sprinkle with oregano.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

If you're following a low-carb diet, I think a big bowl of this for dinner (which is what we're having) will be fantastic. If you're not on a low-carb diet, this would be amazing served with a short, fat pasta like ziti or rigatoni (always whole wheat in my family!), or a hunk of crusty, whole grain bread.

I was also thinking that you could easily add in different roasted or sauteed vegetables when making this dish, according to what your family favorites are. Mushrooms were what came to my mind first. I adore mushrooms and would simply saute a package of mushrooms in a touch of olive oil, garlic and some liquid aminos. Fantastic! Enjoy!