Recipe: No Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

The Perfect Diabetes Comfort Food Collection (American DiabetesAssociation/October 2016) by Robyn Webb includes some great vegetarian Lasagna Recipes including a No Noodle Zucchini Lasagna. Recipe is below and of course you can customize to make it vegan-friendly! Enjoy!

NO NOODLE ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
Serves: 18 | Serving size: 2 × 3-inch square
Prep time: 45 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Zucchini lasagna was the very first lasagna I ever made. Originally, I prepared it with noodles, but now I realize that long strips of zucchini stand in for the noodles beautifully.

MARINARA SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can good-quality canned tomatoes, preferably packed in its own juice, drained, liquid reserved
5 fresh basil leaves with stems, sliced or whole
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red chili flakes (optional)
3 large zucchini

FILLING
16 ounces firm lite tofu
1/2 cup minced parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

TOPPING
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet with a lid over low heat (do not use a deep pot, as you want the water to quickly evaporate and the sauce to become thick). Cook the garlic for about 6–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, add the drained tomatoes to a deep bowl. Crush the tomatoes with your hands, until coarse. Add the tomatoes and basil to the skillet and simmer, uncovered, for 20–25 minutes until thick. Add some of the reserved liquid from the can of tomatoes if the sauce is too thick.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. As the sauce simmers, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick slices with a knife or mandolin. Arrange the zucchini on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the zucchini lightly with salt. Bake the zucchini for about 10–12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the zucchini from the oven. Gently roll up the zucchini slices in a towel to get rid of the excess moisture, or just use paper toweling and blot very well. Be careful to keep the slices intact. Add in the salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using) to the tomato sauce.
5. In a food processor or blender, process the tofu, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic until smooth. Add to a large bowl and mix in the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, salt, and pepper.
6. Pour about 1/3 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9 × 12 baking pan. Add a layer of zucchini slices, overlapping them slightly. Add 1/3 of the filling mixture over the zucchini, spreading evenly with a spatula. Add about 1/3 of the remaining marinara sauce over the tofu cheese filling. Repeat the layering process until all ingredients are used up, finishing with marinara sauce. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the Parmesan or Romano cheese.
7. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove the lasagna from the oven, let stand at room temperature for 10–15 minutes so lasagna can settle and it will be easier to cut. Cut into squares.

CALORIES 80
CALORIES FROM FAT 35
TOTAL FAT 4.0 g
SATURATED FAT 1.6 g
TRANS FAT 0.0 g
CHOLESTEROL 20 mg
SODIUM 240 mg
POTASSIUM 260 mg
TOTAL CARBOHYDRATE 5 g
DIETARY FIBER 1 g
SUGARS 3 g
PROTEIN 6 g
PHOSPHORUS 115 mg

EXCHANGES/CHOICES:
1 Nonstarchy Vegetable; 1 Protein, medium fat

BLUEBERRIES
Serves: 1 | Serving size: 1/3 cup
1/3 cup of blueberries
1. Serve blueberries alongside lasagna and protein.

EXCHANGES / CHOICES
1/2 Fruit

Calories 25; Calories from Fat 0; Total Fat 0.0 g; Saturated Fat 0.0 g; Trans Fat 0.0 g; Cholesterol
0 mg; Sodium 0 mg; Potassium 35 mg; Total Carbohydrate 7 g; Dietary Fiber 1 g; Sugars 5 g;
Protein 0 g; Phosphorus 5 mg

©2016 by Robyn Webb. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association. Photography: Renée Comet. The Perfect Diabetes Comfort Food Collection is available at ShopDiabetes.org, in bookstores nationwide, or by calling 1-800-232-6733.

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