zucchini lasagna

A friend of mine has a large, green problem.

Apparently, the zucchinis just won't stop!

And what do you do with a 5lb zucchini? Zucchini thrives in fresh dishes like pastas, which don't last too long and won't use up too much of our yummy green friend.

This dish plays with that concept--replacing pasta with vegetable--and can be made in large quantities and frozen for lunches (I'd even contest that it's better the second day!) The zucchinis lose a lot of their volume through the grilling/sautéing process, and this is a great recipe for producing in bulk. Lasagna is also a flexible dish, and you can modify/add as you like!

A fun way to make it vegan and add a little protein is by making tofu ricotta. I found a new recipe that I absolutely adore, because it perfectly replicates the texture of ricotta, tastes really good, and is a great way to sneak in some protein to an otherwise not-so-filling dish. You could use regular ricotta if you want, but I encourage you to try it out if you're feeling adventurous--it's awesome.

My non-vegan food and non-vegetable-loving boyfriend actually ate this. If that's not a stamp of approval, I don't know what is!

~*~

Tofu ricotta adapted from here

Serves 3-4

Total time: 1.5-2 hours, but if you use a real grill or a larger griddle pan, it'll go faster!

1 1/2 lb zucchini (about 5 medium), sliced thin

sauce

1 can tomato sauce/pureed tomatoes

3/4 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

tofu cheese

1 package tofu

3 cloves garlic

1/4 onion, diced

2 1/2 tbsp white miso

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tightly packed minced parsley

optional additions

1 can artichoke hearts, dried and rinsed

panko bread crumbs
vegan or regular mozzarella

Sliced zucchini!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grilling away...

Slice zucchini into thin planks using a knife or a mandolin (cut off top and bottom and slice downwards with your knife). Using a grill, a griddle pan, or a skillet, sprayed with cooking oil, cook zucchini on medium heat until there are light brown grill marks on either side or until golden brown. Squidge each slice down with the back of a fork to coax out some of the liquid.

In progress!

While your zucchini slices are grilling, cook onions and garlic in 1 tbsp of cooking oil until translucent and just turning golden brown. Pour in can of tomato sauce and turn down heat to low simmer until ready to use.

Making sure to check on your zucchini and replace cooked planks with new ones, you can start on your tofu cheese.

Drain your block of tofu, and crumble it onto a paper towel. Pat dry, changing paper towels at least twice, removing as much liquid as possible. Place in food processor with miso, lemon juice, parsley, onion, and garlic, and pulse until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

The basics.

Crumbled.

Pulsed.

Ready!

Once all your zucchinis are done, you can start building your lasagna. I used a 9.5 inch pie pan, but you could use a loaf pan, a square pan...use your imagination!

Building begins.

Spoon out a thin layer of tomato sauce. Lay down a layer of zucchini slices. Spread a layer of tofu cheese or regular ricotta. If using them, spread a layer of artichokes. If you want an extra-cheesy dish, feel free to sprinkle some layers of vegan/regular mozzarella down on top of your ricotta.

Repeat until pan is almost full. For the final layer, spread the rest of your zucchini. You can spray the top with cooking oil, salt and pepper, and bake as-is, or add some bread crumbs on top for extra flair.

Add some cheese.

Done!

Dems layers.

With crumbs!

Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling. Let set for at least 15 minutes, or overnight in the fridge, before serving--or, if you're impatient like me, serve it in a bowl as soon as you're hungry.

All done!