Zucchini Lasagna

One of the best things about the blogging community is its infinite amount of inspiration.  There are so many bloggers and countless recipes that the possibilities are truly endless.

This recipe is the love child of two stellar recipes, Lightened-up Lasagna from meals & moves and Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna from Peas and Thank You.

I love the idea of using zucchini in place of noodles for the added nutrition and flavor.  And using cottage cheese in place of ricotta is brilliant since it’s chock full of protein!  I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate protein into my diet.  (Vegetarians; you could even leave out the meat and still be left with a protein rich meal.)

Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 zucchini slices into strips, lengthwise
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend.)
• 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place an oiled skillet over medium heat and cook onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until browned.  Drain fat once the beef is cooked through and add the tomato sauce to the skillet.  Heat thoroughly.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg, and parsley through pepper.
4. Lightly oil a 9×5 loaf pan.  Begin layering your ingredients; start with a single layer of zucchini, then add half the cottage cheese mixture, and half the beef mixture.  Repeat once more and top the final layer with shredded cheese.
5. Cover with foil and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes, or until cheese begins to bubble.

What recipes blog-inspired recipes have you created?