Hey! So, I’m loving this zucchini lasagna recipe. It’s gluten-free, grain-free and has an option to be, dairy-free and paleo-friendly.) It took me all of 30 minutes and was super delicious. It is also extremely versatile.
This time we used cow’s milk ricotta but you can just as easily go dairy-free with this simply by omitting the parmesan and substituting the ricotta for almond flour ricotta. Yes, it does exist and it is AMAZING!
There are times when I go full dairy-free so finding dairy-free ricotta was a game-changer for me during those times. The company I use for mine is Kite Hill.
Kite Hill ricotta actually won a Nexty Award which I just found out. Actually, I just found out what Nexty Awards were this past March when we attended the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim for the first time. The Nextys are twice annual awards that are given out to innovative products that really move the natural products industry forward and let me tell you, this ricotta is one of those.
Grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free eating has never been better in my opinion. I get excited because each year it becomes more and more easy to eat healthy, especially for those of us on restricted diet by necessity or by choice.
I could go on about some of my other fav companies that are doing it right but I’ll save that for future post. For now, back to this delish lasagna!
In this recipe, I intentionally use some pre-bought stuff to make this super simple. I want to have some go-to recipes that are really quick and easy to make that I can rely on to make sure I don’t revert to the nachos and tacos patterns I can sometimes get into.
I use a jarred pasta sauce. Really, I recommend you just use your favorite or whatever catches your fancy in the grocery aisle. I snagged a spicy garlic tomato sauce this time and it was awesome!
Be sure to check the label to avoid added sugars and bad oils (canola, safflower…). There is no reason to put that into your meal when it’s just as easy and so much healthier to go without it. I check labels on everything now. It took me a while to build up the habit but now it’s second nature.
For the lasagna noodles I just used my mandoline to quickly slice up a couple zucchinis, browned the sausage, and mixed up the ricotta filing then stacked and baked and done! Super-fast and super delicious!
- 1 cup pasta sauce of choice (such as marinara)
- 1 hot Italian sausage, casings removed, browned
- 2 zucchini, sliced length-wise using your medium blade on your mandoline, about ¼” inch
- 1 cup cow’s milk ricotta (or Kite Hill almond milk ricotta)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- Himalayan salt & freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat a pan on medium high heat and brown your sausage.
- Combine ricotta, basil, egg and salt & pepper to taste, about ¼ - ½ teaspoons each.
- Add ⅓ pasta sauce to the bottom of a 9”x9” dish.
- Layer zucchini slices along the bottom of the dish, overlapping slightly.
- Spread ⅓ of the ricotta across the zucchini then top with another layer of zucchini.
- Add all of the sausage and another ⅓ of the ricotta and ⅓ of the pasta sauce evenly across.
- Top with another layer of zucchini then the remaining ricotta.
- Add the final layer of zucchini and pasta sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top (if using).
- Bake for 15-20 minutes on 400 degrees F.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve alongside a quick salad of mixed greens and a delicious vinaigrette. Enjoy!