Zucchini And Country Bread Lasagna Recipes

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and mushrooms and saute until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until it wilts. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, trim the ends of the zucchini. Using a knife, carefully slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips, about 1/16 inch thick. If the zucchini looks watery, lay the slices on paper towels to absorb excess moisture before using.
• Grate the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
• Cut the basil into a chiffonade by stacking the leaves on top of one another, rolling them tightly and then cutting across. Finely chop the parsley. In a medium bowl, combine the herbs, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, salt and pepper and stir well.
• To assemble the lasagna, place a third of the mushrooms and spinach mixture over the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spoon a layer of marinara on top and cover with half of the zucchini strips, carefully overlapping the edges. Spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture onto the zucchini and spread to distribute evenly. Sprinkle half the mozzarella on top of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat the process above, layering the mushrooms and spinach, marinara, the remaining zucchini strips, cottage cheese, and mozzarella into the dish. Top with the remaining mushrooms and spinach, followed by a final layer of marinara.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of the Parmesan over the top and bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Allow to stand for 35 minutes before cutting into squares.

ZUCCHINI AND COUNTRY BREAD LASAGNA

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the zucchini, slice off the stems, and trim the blossom ends. With a sharp long-bladed knife (or a mandoline if you have one) cut very thin lengthwise slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Put them in a large bowl, sprinkle over them the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the 2 tablespoons of oil, and toss to coat the slices with the seasonings.
• Assembling the Lasagna
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°. Cut the crusts off the bread slices. If they are soft and fresh, you can dry the slices briefly in the oven, but don't let them get crisp or brown.
• Butter the bottom and sides of the baking pan generously. Spread a cup of the tomato sauce in a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Cover the bottom with a single layer of bread slices. Trim the slices and cut them in pieces so they fit close together and lie flat (but you don't have to fill every small crack or hole). Spoon about 2 cups of sauce onto the bread and spread it evenly.
• Make a layer of zucchini (or sautéed eggplant), using half the slices. You can lay them crosswise or lengthwise in the pan, whichever way fits best. Overlap the slices as necessary to make an even layer that completely covers the sauce. Press down gently to condense the lasagna and make more room in the pan, then sprinkle 1 cup of grated cheese evenly over the top.
• Now repeat the layering: Arrange another layer of bread slices and trimmed pieces. Cover the bread with 2 more cups of sauce, spread evenly. Lay out the rest of the zucchini (or eggplant) slices in an overlapping layer. Spread the remaining tomato sauce, about a cup, in a thin layer. Sprinkle another cup of cheese (or more!) in a generous layer over the top of the lasagna.
• Baking the Lasagna
• Cut a sheet of aluminum foil about 2 feet long-preferably from a wide roll of heavy-duty foil. Press the foil so it hugs the sides of the pan and bend it to make a "tent" over the lasagna that doesn't touch the surface anywhere.
• Bake the lasagna covered for about 45 minutes, giving the zucchini plenty of time to cook. Remove the pan from the oven; carefully unfold the foil from the sides of the pan and lift it off completely. Don't get burned by the pan or the steam that is released-keep your face and hands out of the way. And don't let the foil mess up the cheesy topping! (In a glass casserole, you should be able to see the sauce bubbling up around the sides of the pan.)
• Return the lasagna to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is deep golden-brown. Let the casserole settle for a few minutes before serving (it will stay hot for some time). Cut in squares or rectangles of whatever size you like, and lift out individual pieces with an angled spatula.
• The Best Bread For Country Bread Lasagna
• A hearty European-style chewy wheat bread, made with all white or white and whole-grain flour, is best for these savory lasagne. Cut the slices yourself and let them dry a bit. Day-old (or briefly oven-dried) 1/2-inch slices will soak up lots of vegetable juices and give the lasagna a marvelous texture. Don't get a skinny or low loaf with lots of crust, though-like a baguette or ciabatta-since the crust is trimmed away. Instead get a lofty bread-a large round or oval loaf-for big slices with lots of "insides."
• Eggplant and Country Bread Lasagna
• Trim the stem and bottom ends of the eggplants. Peel off all the skin if it is tough, or, with tender eggplant, remove ribbons of peel in a striped pattern (see box, page 254).
• With a sharp chef's knife, cut all the eggplant lengthwise into slices, about 1/3 inch thick. Toss a few slices at a time in the flour (in a large bowl or on a tray) to coat completely on both sides; shake off the excess and pile in another bowl or tray.
• Pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of the canola oil into the skillet and tilt it so the entire bottom is coated with a thin film of oil. Set the pan over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
• Lay a batch of eggplant slices in the pan with plenty of space between them. You want to brown the pieces quickly, with minimal oil, so keep the heat up but don't let the oil smoke or the vegetables burn. Fry the slices for about 2 minutes, until lightly colored on the underside, then flip them over and fry 2 minutes on the second side. Drain the slices on sheets of paper towel and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt while hot.
• Brown the remaining floured eggplant in batches, adding oil to the pan as needed. Remove to paper towels and salt them right away, using about 1/2 teaspoon for all the slices.
• Assemble and bake the lasagna as in the main recipe.
• To Salt or Not to Salt the Water
• I always used to boil vegetables in salted water. But recently I started salting certain vegetables after they were cooked, tossing them immediately after draining with medium-coarse salt, while they were still steaming hot, and I found I liked it. Does it make that much difference? Indeed it does. Instead of making a saline solution out of the boiling water that permeates the vegetable throughout, salting later allows the vegetable to retain its pure vegetable flavor, and then the sprinkled salt adds another dimension of flavor by seeping in gently while it is still hot. The vegetables that best respond to this method are string beans, broccoli, and zucchini. But I find it also true of cabbage, beets, chard, and other greens.

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 12x18-inch half sheet pan with foil and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Wash, dry, and trim the ends of the zucchini. Carefully slice each zucchini lengthwise into seven 1/8-inch thick slices using a mandolin or sharp knife. Place zucchini slices on the prepared pan and sprinkle with salt. Toss slices to distribute salt.
• Cook in the preheated oven until zucchini slices are soft and pliable, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place on several layers of paper towels to absorb any excess liquid. Set zucchini aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and season with Italian seasoning blend, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir ground beef until brown and crumbly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in minced garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Stir together ricotta, beaten egg, grated Parmesan cheese, minced parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Combine marinara sauce and tomato paste in a separate bowl, stirring well.
• Spray a 9x11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 of the tomato mixture over the bottom of the baking dish.
• When the zucchini is cool enough to handle, blot with paper towels. Line up 6 or 7 slices of cooled zucchini on the sheet pan.
• Spread each slice of zucchini with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the meat mixture over the slices. Setting 1 cup of grated mozzarella aside, sprinkle each zucchini slice with 1 tablespoon grated mozzarella.
• Beginning with the end nearest you, roll up each zucchini slice over the filling, jelly roll-fashion, and place in the prepared baking dish. Repeat until there are 4 rows of 7 zucchini rolls.
• Pour reserved marinara mixture over the zucchini rolls and sprinkle with reserved grated mozzarella.
• Bake in the preheated oven until zucchini rolls are heated through, the sauce is bubbly, and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 20 minutes. Garnish with minced fresh basil, if desired.

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA WITH MEAT

Steps:

• Salt zucchini slices on a plate and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes while you dice the rest of the ingredients.
• Heat a large skillet or wide pot over high heat. Add oil, onion, and garlic, and sauté until the onion gets a little brown and becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, potato, and bell pepper. Cook and stir until beef is browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Pour in marinara sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Layer marinara mixture, zucchini slices, and mozzarella cheese in that order in a casserole dish until you run out of ingredients, ending with mozzarella cheese. Cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking until lasagna is cooked through and bubbly, about 15 minutes more.

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In large skillet, cook and crumble beef with onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Stir in seasonings and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. In a bowl, mix egg and cottage cheese., Trim ends of zucchini; cut lengthwise into 1/4-in.-thick slices. Layer half the slices in a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; dust with half the flour. Top with cottage cheese mixture and half the meat sauce. Add remaining zucchini; dust with remaining flour. Spread with remaining meat sauce; sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese., Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 40 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.