Carb Free Zucchini Lasagna with Turkey (Trust me, the Cheese makes up for lack of Pasta)

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  So the noodle free lasagna kick continues. A few months ago I made a carb free Eggplant Spinach Lasagna recipe here:

  http://www.saladgirlnat.com/2013/01/eggplant-spinach-lasagna-noodle-free.html . It was such a major hit with most of my

  family that I decided to try another version of this beauty—Zucchini Lasagna. Still carb free but this one with meat.

  I should note that this recipe is adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/zucchini-lasagna.html but I made a bunch

  of tweaks to make it my own.

  
  

  INGREDIENTS:

  
  

  3 zucchinis sliced thin the long way

  One 15 ounce container of part skim ricotta

  ½ cup of fresh chopped basil plus more for garnish if you like

  2 12 ounce jars of tomato paste (more or less, depending on how much sauce you like)

  2 cups of shredded part skim mozzarella

  1 egg

  Salt and pepper to taste

  1 diced shallot or medium onion

  3 chopped garlic cloves

  1 pound ground turkey

  1-2 tablespoons of oil (I use grape)

  Cooking spray

  
  

  
  

  1) Wash and dry zucchinis. Do not peel. Slice the long way into thin long slices. This is best done using a mandolin. Watch your fingers when you are doing this. Seriously, because if you don’t you may get hurt (trust me, I speak from experience).

  
  

  2) Sprinkle with salt and leave for a few minutes. This will make zucchinis release water. That’s good; you don’t want the water in there. Do not rinse but dab with paper towels.

  
  

  3) In the meantime, spray a medium sauce pan with cooking spray and heat.   Brown your ground meat till cooked through.  Remove from pan. Add a bit of oil, add garlic and onions and cook about 3 minutes. Add the meat back, add tomato paste, 2/3 of the basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

  
  

  4) Preheat oven to 375. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, add zucchini slices. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and PAT DRY one more time.

  
  

  5) In a large bowl, combine ricotta with egg. Mix well. Add remaining chopped basil. Mix in.

  
  

  6) Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, add meat mixture to cover bottom. Add baked and dried zucchini to cover sauce. Ok to overlap slices of zucchini.  Place ricotta mixture on top. Repeat one more time (or more if you have enough ingredients). I had just the right amount for 2 layers.

  
  

  7) Top with shredded mozzarella and basil leaves, cover in foil. Baked covered for 40 minutes and uncovered for another 15. Allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.