Zucchini Lasagna

I've been looking at different recipes for lasagna that uses zucchini in place of noodles for awhile and finally got a chance to make a pan.  It turned out great - even my husband and dad who aren't always super into the gf adaptations of recipes really liked it.  You don't miss the noodles and although you could leave out the sausage for a vegetarian version, I thought it added a lot of flavor.

The key is slicing the zucchini really thin - I used a mandolin to slice mine and it worked well.  The slices of lasagna were a little juicy because of the liquid from the zucchini.  The roasting step was supposed to help with that but I've since read that lightly salting your (raw) zucchini slices and letting them sit for ten minutes or so and then blotting the moisture with a paper towel would do the trick (before roasting).  If you don't want to roast the zucchini and have a grill pan, you could also grill the zucchini about 1-2 minutes per side.

Zucchini Lasagna (serves 8)
adapted from Skinny Taste

4 cups of good quality marinara (I used one from Trader Joes that I like)
1 pound of Italian sausage, browned, crumbled and drained (I used a chicken sausage)
3-4 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1/8 in. thick)
15 oz ricotta cheese
16 oz shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 large egg

Add the cooked sausage to the marinara and heat over medium until simmering.  Cook 5-10 minutes or until the sauce is pretty thick.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray two baking sheets with olive oil spray and spread the zucchini in the pans in a single layer.  Roast until lightly brown, about 10-15 minutes (keep an eye so they don't burn since they're really thin).

Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta cheese, the parmesan cheese and the egg.

In a 9x13 pan, spread some sauce on the bottom to cover the pan.  Top with a single layer of zucchini.  Spread the zucchini with some of the ricotta mixture, top with mozzarella, and then the sauce.  Repeat until all your ingredients are used up.  The top layer should be sauce and mozzarella.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.  Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes.  Let it stand out of the oven for 10-15 minutes before slicing.