Ingredients :
- For the zucchini:
- 2 pounds zucchini ends trimmed and sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes undrained
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- For the ricotta filling:
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- For assembly:
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh parsley minced, for garnish
Directions :
- To make the zucchini:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- In a large bowl, add zucchini slices, olive oil, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Toss to combine.
- Arrange zucchini slices on prepared baking sheets in an even layer. Bake until zucchini is light golden brown and fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- To make the sauce:
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add beef (or sausage) and onion, and cook until mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain if desired. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, and fennel seeds. Simmer uncovered until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper (I like 1 ½ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper). You should have about 2 quarts of sauce.
- To make the ricotta filling:
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, parsley, and salt. Chill until sauce and zucchini are finished.
- To assemble and bake the lasagna:
- In the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch dish, spread 2 cups meat sauce. Arrange a single layer of zucchini over the meat sauce. Spread with heaping 2/3 cups ricotta mixture. Top with about 1 ½ cups mozzarella. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon 2 cups meat sauce over the cheese. Make another layer of zucchini, ricotta mixture (2/3 cup), mozzarella (1 ½ cups) and Parmesean (⅓ cup). Repeat layers one more time, for a total of three layers.
- Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling hot, and cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
