Today I’m excited to have my dear friend Lily Dunn guest posting here on This Wild Season. Lily is a fabulous writer, so you should check out her blog Such Small Hands, as well as the travel blog she shares with her husband – Two Sore Thumbs.

I made this recipe to share with my family over the weekend and I can assure you that it is absolutely delicious! It got glowing reviews all around, including one from my dad who admitted it was the best lasagna he’d ever eaten. I confess I was a little hesitant to swap out noodles for zucchini instead, but I honestly enjoyed this recipe way more than regular lasagna! I have a distinct feeling this is the only way I’ll make lasagna from here on out.

And with that introduction, I’ll hand it off to Lily!

Eleven months ago my husband and I moved to South Korea to teach English. Living in a foreign country can feel exciting and adventurous, but there are still times when it’s hard not to be overcome by homesickness and longing for the comfortable and familiar. One of the best ways for me to feel connected to home is through food. I love to cook, especially for friends and family. Here in Korea, I don’t have access to the same ingredients or cooking methods I did at home (no ovens!) so I’ve had to make some creative adjustments and adaptations.

This lasagna is one of those recipes born from “creative adaptation.” It is special to me, not only because it’s so delicious, but because I have come to associate it with community. A few months ago I made this for a group of girls who were meeting for the first time, hoping to start a Bible study. My Wednesday nights with them have now become the best part of my week. When my parents visited at the beginning of May we went to lots of great restaurants and enjoyed some great meals, but one night we stayed home and I made this lasagna for them and we ate together sitting half on the couch and half at the table because we only have 2 chairs. After they left my mom sent me an email that said, “I asked Dad what his favorite food was that we tried while we were there. He mentioned a few restaurant meals we’d had, but then he said, ‘I think my favorite thing was Lily’s zucchini lasagna.’” Winning. 🙂

The zucchini actually replaces the pasta in this dish, so it’s a great option for those who eat gluten-free or low-carb as well as being a great somewhat lighter version of a well-loved comfort food. Since most of the flavor comes from the sauce and the cheese, and the zucchini itself doesn’t have a strong flavor, you really don’t miss the pasta. In fact, my husband, who is a lasagna aficionado but not a big vegetable eater, LOVES this dish. There’s a bit of prep time involved, but you can make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven when you are ready to eat it. As they say in Korea, “잘먹겠습니다!” (jal meog-es-seub-ni-da – the Korean version of “Bon Apetit!”)

Cooking Notes:

The sweating process for the zucchini is very important. If you don’t do this you will end up with watery soupy gloop.

The original recipe calls for an egg added to the cheese mixture. I prefer it without the egg because I think it makes the cheese creamier. If you like the cheese part to be stiffer you can add one egg.

I add mushrooms to my sauce, but these are entirely optional.

I make this in a convection toaster oven since Korean kitchens don’t have ovens. Because of that I have to use a smaller pan (maybe 11’x7’?) I use the same amount of sauce and cheese mixture, but only 1 – 1 1/2 zucchinis.

This recipe calls for mozzarella, but I have trouble getting that here so I have been using a three-cheese blend and it’s delicious. I think you could really use any cheese, it will just change the flavor slightly.

Zucchini Lasagna

Lily Dunn / Adapted from Sandra M at Key Ingredient

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Ingredients

  

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup white mushrooms chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce I use Classico’s Italian sausage and pepper for this and it is AMAZING
• 2 large or 3 medium zucchinis
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 16 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella or other cheese + 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

 

• In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
• In the pan you used to brown the meat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onions, and mushrooms and sauté until the onions are soft. (2-3 minutes)
• Add the ground beef and marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 45 – 50 minutes. The sauce is meant to thicken quite a bit. Do not add any water.
• Meanwhile, slice the zucchini lengthwise into long lasagna-noodle shaped strips (about 1/8 inch thick). I use a vegetable peeler for this. Lay the zucchini slices out on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Allow the zucchini to “sweat” for 20 minutes. Then pat dry to remove excess moisture.
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, and shredded mozzarella.
• Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of an 8’x12’ casserole dish –just enough to coat the bottom. Top with a layer of zucchini. (If some of your zucchini pieces are very thin, you can double them up). Finish with a layer of cheese mixture. Continue to layer in this order until your ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of sauce and the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. (I usually get two complete layers)
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the center is hot. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Lily Dunn is mastering the art of toaster oven cooking in Daegu South Korea where she and her (devastatingly handsome) husband Jonathan teach elementary school English. Lily writes about life, faith, and searching for grace at Such Small Hands. She and Jonathan also share a blog about expat life in Korea at Two Sore Thumbs. You can follow her on Twitter at @LilyEllyn.