Noodle Less Lasagna Recipes

NO-NOODLE ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
• Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.
• To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.
• To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.
• Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

NOODLE-LESS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.
• Arrange eggplant and zucchini in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large saucepan, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, basil and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Combine ricotta, egg and pepper in a small bowl.
• Spread about 1 cup sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of half the eggplant. Dollop on about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Layer on half the zucchini, crosswise to the eggplant layer, then top with 1 cup sauce, dollop on 1/3 cup ricotta mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Layer on the remaining eggplant and top with 1 cup sauce, dollop on the remaining ricotta mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Layer on the remaining zucchini and top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella.
• Bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

NOODLE-LESS EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. Spray 9-inch pie plate or 8-inch round pan lightly with olive oil cooking spray.
• Cut eggplant into very thin slices using mandolin. Place slices in single layer on cookie sheets; sprinkle lightly with salt. (If necessary, do this in batches if only 1 sheet fits in your oven at a time.) Bake about 6 minutes or until slightly shriveled and almost tender. Remove from oven; set aside to cool. Leave oven on.
• In medium bowl, mix ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Place thawed spinach in clean tea towel; squeeze out any excess liquid. (There will be a lot!) Add drained spinach to cheese mixture; mix well.
• Spread thin layer of marinara sauce in bottom of pie plate. Layer eggplant slices, slightly overlapping, over sauce to cover bottom of plate. Spread one-third of cheese mixture over eggplant; top with a layer of sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times, layering eggplant, cheese mixture and sauce and ending with final layer of sauce. Top with mozzarella pearls. Cover pie plate with foil.
• Bake in center of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking 15 to 30 minutes longer or until cheese and sauce are bubbly and eggplant is tender. Remove from oven; cool about 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle top of the lasagna with basil before serving.

NOODLE-LESS ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the meat, season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces as it browns, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the meat in a colander and wipe the skillet with a paper towel.
• Put the skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Return the meat to the pan, add the tomatoes, basil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, until thickened.
• Meanwhile, slice the zucchini lengthwise with a mandolin into 1/8-inch-thick slices (you should have at least 30 to 35 long zucchini ribbons). Lightly salt the zucchini with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Blot the zucchini with paper towels.
• Preheat a grill to medium heat (or preheat a grill pan over medium heat).
• Oil the grill grates or spray the grill pan with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Grill the zucchini until cooked and slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and press to absorb excess moisture.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, and egg. Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 × 13 × 2 1/2- inch baking dish. Make a layer of the zucchini over the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Spread 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture over the zucchini and sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Make another layer of zucchini, top with 1 1/2 cups meat sauce, 1/2 cup ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients for a total of 3 layers. Finish the lasagna by topping with the remaining zucchini and meat sauce. Cover the dish with foil.
• Bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil, and bake 20 minutes uncovered. Add the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake uncovered until bubbling and the cheese is melted, 10 more minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into 8 pieces.