Lasagna is a popular meal in our house, but sometimes the layering, baking and waiting is just too much. That’s why we thought up this little gem. It’s still lasagna, it just isn’t baked.
How to Quickly Make Free-Form Zucchini Lasagna
We’re using zucchini and yellow summer squash in our lasagna recipe below, but you can swap them for other veggies or add some protein — chicken sausage would be excellent. The vegetables are roasted in the oven until browned around the edges. While they roast, we have time to cook lasagna noodles and make a creamy lemon ricotta sauce. For the sauce, stir lemon zest and some hot pasta water into ricotta. This seasons and thins out the ricotta ever so slightly. When the zucchini has roasted, we layer noodles, roasted vegetables and the ricotta sauce on individual plates. So simple! Recipe updated, originally posted May 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne 2 summer/yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch rounds 1 shallot or small yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 8 dry lasagna noodles, unbroken 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese Zest of one lemon Salt and fresh ground black pepper Fresh basil leaves, chopped 2Add squash to the pan then use your fingers to separate the shallot slices into rings, and then add to the baking sheet. Toss squash and shallots with olive oil, Italian seasoning and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Arrange the squash into one layer then roast, turning once, until lightly browned, but not mushy, about 15 minutes. 3Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is tender but not mushy. Drain, but reserve about 1/4 cup pasta water. 4Make the lemon ricotta. Add ricotta cheese to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until warm, 1 minute. Stir in the lemon zest and reserved water from the pasta. Taste then season with salt and pepper.
