Guilt-Free Lasagna

Ingredients, sauce:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375°F
2. In a medium sauce pan, add olive oil and sauté garlic and onions about 2 minutes; and then cook beef and season with salt
3. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 30-40 minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.

Ingredients, ‘noodles’:

• 4 medium zucchinis, sliced 1/8″ thick
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Directions:

1. Slice zucchini into 1/8″ thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

Ingredients, cheese mixture:

• 1 ½ cups part-skim ricotta
• ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg

Ingredients, final layers:

• 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. In a 9×12 casserole spread:
2. Spread ½ cup of sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover
3. Spread ½ cup of the cheese mixture, then top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up
4. The last layer top with remaining zucchini and sauce, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes
5. Uncover the foil and bake 20 minutes (to dry up the sauce) then place the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake until melted, 10 minutes