Zucchini Lasagna

I love zuchinni and I love lasagna.  For a gluten free version of lasagna, use thin sliced zuchinni instead of wheat noodles.  The first time I make this, it was too runny from all the moisture that the zucchini contains.  So I did a little research on how remove moisture from the zucchini so that we can use them in place of the noodles in the Lasagna.  When I tasted it, I thought,” heaven”.  So here is how to make Zucchini Lasagna.

Step 1:

Ingredients:
1 24 oz. (680 g) can/jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 lb. (453 g) of ground beef
Season salt
1 16 oz. (453 g) carton of ricotta cheese (or use cottage cheese)
1 cup sliced olives
Zucchini 2-3 medium sized (not shown)
1 cup (237 cm3) grated yellow cheese, your choice
Salt (not shown)
9”x13” (23cm x 33cm) baking pan (also called a dripper pan or sheet cake pan)
Nonstick spray
Paper towels (not shown)
Aluminum foil

Step 2:

Slice the zucchini into long strips about 1/4 to ½ inch thick.  Lay the strips on folded paper towels.  Sprinkle salt on to the zucchini strips.  The salt will cause the zucchini to sweat out a lot of its moisture. 

Step 3:

Place another layer of paper towels on top of the zucchini to absorb the moisture.  I let the moisture be sopped up for about 2 hours or more, adding several more layers of paper towels. 

Step 4:

Much, much better.

Step 5:

Brown the ground beef, into little chunks. Drain the fat off the beef and then season with the seasoning salt.

Step 6:

Open the can/jar of marinara sauce and pour over the ground beef and heat through.

Step 7:

Get out the 9” x 13” pan and spray it with the nonstick cooking spray. 

Step 8:

Place a little of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. 

Step 9:

Then a layer of zucchini strips

Step 10:

then a layer of meat sauce,

Step 11:

then a layer of ricotta cheese,

Step 12:

sprinkle some sliced olives,

Step 13:

and repeat, you will get two layers of each item.  The very last layer is the cup of grated yellow cheese of your choice.

Step 14:

Cover with foil and bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour. 

Step 15:

 Wonderful!  Enjoy!