Grilled Zucchini Lasagna

Grilled Zucchini Lasagna





Prep Time: 25 Min
Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Mins +

Yields: 6 Pieces

WHAT YOU NEED

SAUCE

• 1/4 C EVOO
• 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
• Handful Fresh Basil, torn
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 Large Carrot, peeled & diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 2/3 C White Wine
• 796 ml San Marzano Tomatoes
• 1/2 Tsp. + Himalayan Salt

FILLING

• 2 x 280g Full Fat Ricotta
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed & minced
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh basil, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1/2 C Grana Padano, shredded
• 1 Large, Free-Range Egg
• 1/2 Tsp. Himalayan Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• Dash Ground Nutmeg

OTHER

• 3 Large Green Zucchinis
• 1 C Pizza Mozzarella, shredded
• GARNISH - Fresh Basil, Fresh Parsley,. Grana Padano

DIRECTIONS

• SAUCE - Begin heating the EVOO, pepper flakes, and garlic, in a medium sized pot set to just below medium heat. Once heated, let everything sizzle together for 30 seconds before stirring in the fresh basil and continuing to cook for another 30ish seconds. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir and cook 5 - 6 minutes before stirring in the tomato paste and continuing to cook another minute or so. Pour in the wine and stir to loosen up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine simmer until reduced by half. Pour in the tomatoes, rinse out the can with water and pour that in to your sauce as well. Break up the tomatoes a bit as you wait for the sauce to come to a boil. Once boiled, add the salt, reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Taste and season with additional salt if desired.

• FILLING - Mix everything together minus the egg. Taste your filling and season to taste before stirring in the egg until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until assembly.
• Preheat a grill pan to just below medium and spray it with cooking spray. Cut the tops off of the zucchinis. Using the thinnest setting on your mandolin, slice each of the zucchinis in to long, thin strips. Grill the zucchini strips on each side until gorgeous grill marks are evident. Transfer cooked zuccs to a plate, and continue until all of the zucchini slices have been grilled.

N O T E - When I made this recipe, I went ahead and grilled the zuccs, assembling a short time later. Admittedly, the bottom of my baking dish was a bit watery when the lasagna came out. This did not bother me, nor did it affect the flavour of the recipe. To avoid the excess liquid, salt your zucchini slices and lay them on a rack, allowing them to drain excess liquids. Begin this process prior to starting your sauce. Rinse the zuccs and pat them dry prior to grilling.

• ASSEMBLY - Preheat oven to 375 F. Ladle some of your sauce in to the bottom of a 7" x 11" baking dish. Lay grilled zucchini slices to coat the bottom of the dish. Some overlapping is perfectly fine. Next, spread half of your ricotta filling over the first layer of zuccs. Don't worry if the zucchinis are moving all over when spreading, just do your best to keep them in place. Lay out more slices of zucc on top of the ricotta filling to form the second layer. Spread the other half of filling and top with a final layer of grilled zuccs. Smother in tomato sauce and top with your mozzarella cheese. Additional sauce can be saved for service with any leftover sauce being refrigerated in an air tight container for 4 - 5 days.
• Cover and bake 35 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake another 15 - 20 until cheese is bubbly, melty, and golden. Remove and set the lasagna on to a wire cooling rack for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Slice in to 6 pieces and serve each piece with some grated grana and fresh herbs. ENJOY!

HAPPY VEG