The Missing Ingredient® Gluten-Free/ Grain-free/ Zucchini Lasagna

3 large zucchini with skin, sliced horizontally (about ¼ inch thick)

1 ¾ cups fresh ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (don’t use cheap Parma)

¾ cup grated fresh mozzarella cheese

1 ¼ cup finely chopped cremini mushrooms

2 large carrots finely chopped

2 stalks of celery finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves pressed

¼ cup chopped shallots

3 cups spinach chopped

2 tablespoons  Extra Virgin Olive oil

¼ teaspoon of Himalayan Pink sea salt

I cup of your favorite homemade tomato Sauce

4 Large Basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Preparing the Filling.

 1- Heat the two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, then add the garlic and shallots.  Cook about 2 minutes

2- Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, and spinach. Stir occasionally

3- Cook the mixture 10-15 minutes uncovered.

4 – Remove from heat and let cool. Drain excess liquid for mixture.

5- Place the fresh Ricotta in a large mixing bowl and stir in the cooled veggie mixture. Combine thoroughly

6- Stir in the Parmigiano and sea salt until combined.

Preparing the Zucchini

1- Cut the zucchini lengthwise, creating slices that are roughly ¼ inch thick.

2- Place a colander over a large bowl. Put the cut zucchini in the colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. (Steps 2-5 are very important to remove some of the water from the zucchini. Otherwise it will not hold together and you will be left with a sloppy mess after you bake it.)

3- Press zucchini slices between two pieces of paper towel.

4-Place cut zucchini slices on a large cookie sheet and roast for 5 minutes at 425. Repeat until all the slices have been roasted. Let cool so you can handle the slices.

5- Remove the zucchini strips for the cookie sheet and press between two paper towels.

You’re ready to put it all together

Reduce the oven temperature to 375

1-Lightly coat the bottom of a baking dish with some of the tomato sauce. (Less is more in this case.)

2- Place zucchini strips side by side until the bottom of baking dish is covered.

3- Add a layer of the cheese/ veggie filling.

4- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have used all the mixture.

5- Cover the top layer of zucchini with Roasted tomato sauce.

6- Cover the sauce with mozzarella cheese.

7- Sprinkle with torn basil leaves and freshly ground pepper

8-Tightly cover with tin foil and bake for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven.

9-Remove from oven and let stand approximately 10 minutes uncovered before cutting.

10-Cut the lasagna straight down the middle first.

Then cut across, in between the zucchini slices making a total of 6 servings, each consisting of two zucchini slices.

Note: If you let this sit over night in the refrigerator it pulls together nicely. Then reheat and serve. I think most baked Italian dishes are always better the second day.

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