My friend and neighbor, Roxanne Sienkiewicz of Newberg, Oregon, made this very delicious
lasagna for one of our bocce and wine evenings at her home. The walnuts
takes this lasagna to another level!You won't miss the ground beef with this clever combination of cheese,
herbs, sauce, and vegetables. Walnuts, which are high in omega-3 fatty
acids, lend nutrition in addition to crunch.
The recipe is originally from Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest
Publication magazine - Ultimate Italian 2008.
Check out Linda's
Pasta Hints and Tips
and
Pasta, Rice, and Main Dish Recipes.
Zucchini-Walnut Lasagna
Recipe Type:
Pasta,
Squash,
Onions,
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Yields: 6 servings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients:
2 medium
zucchini squash
4 teaspoons
olive oil, divided
2 large
onions, cut into wedges
2 large carrots, sliced
4 cloves
garlic
2 cups
Marinara Sauce (either good-quality store bought or homemade sauce)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground
black pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese**
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
9 No-Boil lasagna noodles**
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
Chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
* No-boil lasagna noodles are
so much easier to use as they are much thinner than regular lasagna noodles, and
therefore absorb enough liquid from the sauce to "cook" them completely without
parboiling. Purchase
No-Boil Lasagna Pasta at What's Cooking America's Cooking Store.
**Purchase
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese,
Mozzarella Cheese Making Kits, and
Mozzarella Cheese Slicers at What's Cooking America's Cooking Store.
Preparation:
Preheat your oven broiler. Lightly grease a
2-quart square baking dish or a
lasagna dish; set aside.
Trim ends off the zucchini and slice lengthwise
into 1/8-inch thick slices. Place the zucchini slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush
with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat source
approximately 5 minutes or until the zucchini slices are crisp tender, turning
once. Remove from oven and let cool.
Adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
To prepare the sauce, in a food processor,
combine onions, carrots, and garlic. Cover and process until finely chopped.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat
the remaining 3 teaspoons olive oil. Add chopped onion mixture and cook,
stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minute or until the vegetables are tender.
Add marinara sauce, basil, and pepper. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat
to low; cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from
heat.
In a small bowl, combine shredded mozzarella
cheese and grated Parmesan cheese; set aside.
To assemble the lasagna, arrange three (3) of the
no-boil lasagna noodles on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread with
1/3 of the prepared sauce. Sprinkle with about 3 tablespoon of the chopped
walnuts. Top with 1/3 of the zucchini slices and 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
Repeat layering noodles, sauce, walnuts, zucchini, and cheese mixture,
alternating the direction of the zucchini slices in each layer. Top with the
remaining no-boil noodles, remaining sauce, remaining walnuts, and remaining
zucchini slices. Save the remaining 1/3 cheese mixture for later.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and
bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, sprinkle the hot lasagna with the
remaining 1/3 cheese mixture. Bake, uncovered, approximately 20 additional
minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes
before cutting and serving. If desired, sprinkle with additional chopped
walnuts.
Makes 6 servings.
