Should we dare to try something new or our pride is too strong to let us conquer the unknown? Zucchini lasagna is as tasty as the known!

Interestingly, zucchini is just an Italian word for pumpkin, but no one seems to care about it more than we do for the fact that lasagna is actually the flat and wide type of pasta that is used in the dish we call lasagna.

While knowledge is power, ignorance seems like blessing. Especially when we need to feed our kids vegetables and they are happy to eat lasagna made of zucchini.

Ingredients

3 Zucchinis
4 oz / 100g Bacon or pancetta (diced)
2 Onion (diced)
1 Carrot (diced)
2 Celery stalks (diced)
2 lb / 1000g Ground meat
1/2 cup / 125ml Water or white wine
2 lb / 800g Tomato puree
1 teaspoon Salt
6 piece Black pepper (whole)
1/2 cup / 125ml Milk
1lb / 500g Ricotta cheese
Herbs of choice:
- Oregano
- Basil
- Parsley
1lb / 500 Mozzarella (sliced)

How to make Zucchini lasagana

Preparation

Slice the zucchinis.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on them then let them sit for at least half an hour.
Cut the Bacon, pancetta or any other type of pork fat that we can use as lardon. We can substitute it with a tablespoon of fat or cooking oil, as well. No harm would be done.
Place them into a frying pan and preferably on low to medium heat, render the fat out.
Add onion, carrot and celery then saute with the bacon on high heat for about 5 minutes until the onion gets a slight translucent/glassy look.
Add the ground meat. Mix it well with the vegetables then cook it for 10-15 minutes while stirring it often until all the bigger chunks are falling into smaller pieces. At this point the beef should lose all its pinkness and it’s browned properly.
Add the water or wine, tomatoes, salt, black pepper and milk. Mix it well together, put the lid on and simmer it for 4 hours on low heat, stirring occasionally.
For more detailed instructions for the filling, check out how to make Bolognese sauce a.k.a Ragu. If our patience is wearing thin then use pureed tomato and cook it only for about 30 minutes before getting it ready for layering.
Mix finely cut oregano, basil or herbs of choice with the ricotta cheese in a bowl.
Slice the mozzarella up.

Assembly

Remove the water from the zucchini and optionally tap them dry too.
Spread some sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.
Place the first layer of zucchini on the sauce.
Spread some ricotta cheese on the zucchini slices evenly. We will need the cheese for 3-4 layers depending on the size of the dish. Place the mozzarella slices on top of the ricotta cheese.
Ladle tomato sauce on top and spread it evenly out.
Continue with the layers until the top of the casserole dish has been reached. The top should only have cheese.
Place it in a 390°F / 200°C oven until the top of the cheese gets a golden brown color for about 30 minutes. Let it cool and settle the flavors before serving.