Lasagna

For the Love of Lasagna...       

Lasagna is something my mom use to make my sister and I when we were going up. I'm sure it's a comfort food in most house holds. We would eat it for days! But all you want to do is take a nap afterwards... So I have made it a little lighter, but up-ing the flavor times ten! I love the juxtaposition of the sweet and spicy sauce. The texture of the zucchini mimics the noodles perfectly. There are so many ways to create  delicious and different lasagna's, add veggies, or use them as the noodles. You could use eggplant, or squash. I love zucchini, so I stick with it. It has come to my attention that the word Lasagna is more about the dish you cook the lasagna in rather than what the ingredients are, "Another theory is that the word lasagne comes from the Greek λάσανα (lasana) or λάσανον (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot". The Romans borrowed the word as "lasanum", meaning "cooking pot" in Latin. The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagne is made. Later the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagne) I love learning the history of how things came to be. Adding a story to something as simple and comforting as lasagna, to me, just adds depth and history to it. It's makes me appreciate what history has brought to what we do in our everyday life! Making this dish was time consuming, but I do believe that tomato sauce, or gravy, as some Italians would call it, taste way better when you let the flavors develop overnight. You might notice in my posts that every recipe requires love, you have to cook with your heart and soul. Or else, it's just food, not a meal. Food should be enjoyed, savored with friends and family. Happy cooking and bon appetite! 

Ingredients: 

1.5 lbs spicy Italian sausage or ground beef (or a combo)

1 onion (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

Italian spices dried or fresh (oregano, thyme, parsley)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Sautéed Mushrooms (optional) I like to sauté them first before adding to cook out some of the water. That way they soak up the flavors in the sauce.

1 jar store bought tomato sauce

16oz can tomato puree or dices (depending on if you like a smooth or chunky sauce)

3-5 large zucchini sliced into ribbons

8-16oz mozzarella (grated)

Start by browning the sausage in a sauce pot on medium high heat. When it has a good brown color take a slotted spoon and take the sausage out and put it to the side.
Add a little olive oil, depending on how much oil is left from the cooked sausage. You want it to coat the bottom of your pan.
Turn down the heat to medium and add the diced onions. Cook the onions down til they are translucent then add the garlic and cook for another few minutes until you can smell the YUM that is garlic cooking.

At this time add your spices whether they are fresh or dry and stir them around

Add the jar of store bought sauce and the can of tomato puree.  Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes (add the red pepper flakes now for a little heat).

Taste the sauce, if it too acidic I like to add a little brown sugar or honey to take the bite away.
At this point, add the mushrooms and the sausage. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it sit until it is room temp. I like to make my sauce one day in advice of making the lasagna, so it can develop flavor.

Now on to the zucchini..
Before using the zucchini as the noodles we need to prepare them.
First, either using a mandolin or a knife, cut the zucchini so it resembles the flat lasagna noodles.
Lay them on a cook sheet, add a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and roast them for about 10-20 minutes, at 375, cooking time will depend on the thickness of your zucchini noodles. Basically what we are doing is roasting them to dry them out a bit, so you don’t end up with watery lasagna.
Let them cool to room temp.

Now we assemble!
Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, this prevents any goodness sticking to the bottom. Then add a layer of zucchini followed by another layer of sauce, then add the mozzarella. Continue layering (zucchini, sauce, cheese) until you reach the top of your pan. The top layer should be a layer of cheese.
Time to bake
Bake 30 minutes at 375, checking half way through, if the cheese on top is browning too much, put some foil on it until it’s done.
Let sit for a little bit to cool and set.
ENJOY!!