Zucchini & Caramelized Onion Lasagna

My husband's absolute favorite meal is lasagna, and this recipe is a keeper for sure! Zucchini is a crop that produces insane amounts of veggies and its so economical and so delicious. Both the zucchini and the onions are sweet and they go so well with the tangy tomato sauce and creamy ricotta and herb filling. I like to saute my zucchini before I add it to the lasagna because it has high water content, sauteing gives it lots of flavor as well as reducing the water, this ensures that you will get a lasagna that won't be watery. In my book watery lasagna = no flavor and falling apart, no bueno! We love a meat sauce with our lasagna and I recently made an awesome beef shank crock pot sauce that was amazing, I used the leftovers on this lasagna and it was perfection!! The sauce cooks all day and makes a ton that can be used over pasta or in this lasagna. Feel free to use your favorite meat sauce or plain marinara instead, its all about the veggies in this recipe anyway!

This recipe serves 8-10.

Ingredients

1 (12oz) box organic lasagna noodles, cooked according to box directions.

3 Cups meat sauce, I used my beef shank crock pot sauce, but any meat sauce is fine.

2 Cups pasture raised mozzarella cheese, grated.

1 Medium, organic zucchini, sliced into thin long strips the size of lasagna noodles.

2 Medium, organic spring onions, sliced.

1 Pint organic, cherry tomatoes

1 Sprig organic, fresh thyme

1 (15oz) tub ricotta, I used Maplebrook Farm hand dipped.

1/2 Cup parmesan cheese, grated.

2 Tbsp organic, dried Italian herb mixture

10 Fresh, organic basil leaves, roughly chopped.

2 Large, farm raised eggs

Extra virgin olive oil, for sauteing, about 3 Tbsp.

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl mix together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, dried Italian herbs, basil, some salt, pepper and the eggs. Mix well to combine, set aside.

In a saute pan over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and saute the zucchini in batches till browned on all sides, about 3 minutes a side. In the same pan, turn down the heat to medium add in the rest of the olive oil and saute the onions with some salt, pepper and the thyme till the onions are deeply browned, it takes about 20-25 minutes. You may need to add water to the pan during the cooking process, I add about 1/4 cup at a time just to keep them moist and keep them from burning. When the onions are caramelized add in the tomatoes and cook till they soften and burst, about 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce on the bottom of a large, deep baking dish. Start with a layer of noodles, overlapping them and cutting them to fit. Don't discard the cut scraps, I use these to fill in gaps. Layer some zucchini next, spread with the ricotta mixture, some of the onions and tomatoes and finish with some parmesan and mozzarella, just to cover, make sure to reserve some cheese for the top, top with noodles. Continue layering till you are out of ingredients, ending with noodles. I ended up with 3 layers, top the last noodle layer with lots of sauce, making sure to cover completely so that it stays moist and doesn't burn. Do not put cheese on the top of the lasagna yet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until its hot and bubbly all the way through. Top with the remaining cheeses and bake for a few more minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

To serve, cut carefully with a sharp knife serve with extra sauce and parmesan. Enjoy!