Joyeux Zucchini Lasagna
A joyful zucchini lasagna with layers of sliced zucchini, zesty chicken sausage sauce, mushrooms and 3 cheeses. A beautiful, delicious summer Sunday dinner!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ½ giant zucchini or 2 medium
- 2 links Gilbert's Caprese Chicken Sausage, chopped *or aprox. 5 oz. of chicken or turkey sausage, casing removed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced *I used cremini
- 2 medium garden tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup red wine
- 8 basil leaves *plus extra for serving
- 6 ounces ricotta cheese
- 5 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded *I used a mozzarella/provolone blend
- olive oil
- truffle oil *optional
- salt, pepper
- parmesan cheese, grated *for serving
Instructions
- Slice the zucchini as thinly as you can lengthwise. (Here's a great video how to - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptA3wlLnoKY) Salt the zucchini well and set aside. Heat oil in non-stick pan. Add chopped Caprese sausage. If using uncooked sausage, add it and break up in small pieces with wooden spoon. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft. Stir in tomatoes, red wine, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium heat about 20 minutes, stirring and breaking up/crushing mixture with your wooden spoon while it's cooking. Preheat oven to 375°. Spray 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray. Dry salted zucchini slices with a towel.To assemble the lasagna, spread ⅓ of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place ⅓ zucchini slices over sauce. Spread ⅓ of ricotta over zucchini and top with ⅓ mozzarella. Spread another ⅓ sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan and 4 basil leaves. Drizzle with a splash of truffle oil, if using. Repeat layers. Top with remaining zucchini, sauce, basil leaves mozzarella and parmesan. Drizzle with another splash of truffle oil.Cover lasagna with large sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Top with additional basil leaves, slice into 4 pieces and serve with grated parmesan.
Notes
It was difficult to slice lengths of zucchini thinly, next time I might try to slice thin round and layer them instead.
The Caprese sausage from Gilbert's just looked too good not to try. It has basil, sun dried tomato and mozzarella in it, but it is already cooked. Normally I would just use Italian turkey sausage.