Zucchini and Spinach Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Zucchini and Spinach Lasagna with Meat Sauce
AuthorDanny EckesCategory, DifficultyBeginner

Yields8 Servings
Prep Time3 hrsCook Time1 hrTotal Time4 hrs

Directions

Sauce
1

Heat dutch oven over medium heat.
Add ground beef and ground sausage (If you don't like heat get mild sausage instead of hot).
Add onions and 5 cloves of minced garlic.
Cook meat until brown, stirring often and breaking into small pieces.

2

Stir in 1/4 cup fresh basil, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, fennel, oregano, sugar, and salt & pepper to taste.
Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and chicken broth (If you like spicy lasagna replace the plain tomato sauce with El Pato hot tomato sauce).
Stir well, and keep at medium heat until sauce starts to boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer for 2 hours.

Ricotta
3

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 2 tbsp parsley, 2 tbsp basil, a dash of salt, and nutmeg.
Whisk until all ingredients are evenly dispersed.
Place in the fridge until ready to bake lasagna.

Lasagna
4

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5

Lightly grease a 13x9x3" baking dish.
Spoon a thin layer of sauce along the bottom.
Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.
Cover noodles with an even layer of sauce.
Place slices of mozzarella covering sauce.
Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top of mozzarella.
Cover with another layer of lasagna noodles.
Cover noodles with an even layer of sauce.
Spread zucchini and spinach over the sauce.
Spread the second 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top of spinach and zucchini.
Cover with your final layer of lasagna noodles.
Spread the rest of the sauce (saving a little extra for serving).
Place slices of mozzarella covering sauce.
Spread slices of garlic.
Spread parmesan cheese.
Spread bread crumbs.
Sprinkle fresh basil and parsley.

6

Cover with foil.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Serving
7

Cut into square and serve with a ladle of sauce, topped with a sprinkle of basil and parsley.

Ingredients

Sauce
 1 lb Ground Hot Italian Sausage
 1 lb Ground Beef (80/20)
 1 White Onion (large, minced)
 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes (canned)
 12 oz Tomato Paste
 15 oz Tomato Sauce
 ½ cup Chicken Broth
 2 tbsp White Sugar
 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
 1 tsp Ground Oregano
Ricotta
 30 oz Ricotta Cheese (whole milk)
 1 Egg
 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg
Lasagna
 2 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
 1 Zucchini (large cut into thin circles)
 1 lb Lasagna Noodles
 1 lb Deli Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
 ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated)
 ¼ Italian Bread Crumbs
Shared
 ½ cup Fresh Basil (finely chopped)
 ½ cup Fresh Italian Parsley (finely chopped)
 9 Garlic Cloves (5 minced, 4 sliced)
 Salt and Pepper to taste
Cookware

Directions

Sauce
1

Heat dutch oven over medium heat.
Add ground beef and ground sausage (If you don't like heat get mild sausage instead of hot).
Add onions and 5 cloves of minced garlic.
Cook meat until brown, stirring often and breaking into small pieces.

2

Stir in 1/4 cup fresh basil, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, fennel, oregano, sugar, and salt & pepper to taste.
Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and chicken broth (If you like spicy lasagna replace the plain tomato sauce with El Pato hot tomato sauce).
Stir well, and keep at medium heat until sauce starts to boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer for 2 hours.

Ricotta
3

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 2 tbsp parsley, 2 tbsp basil, a dash of salt, and nutmeg.
Whisk until all ingredients are evenly dispersed.
Place in the fridge until ready to bake lasagna.

Lasagna
4

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5

Lightly grease a 13x9x3" baking dish.
Spoon a thin layer of sauce along the bottom.
Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.
Cover noodles with an even layer of sauce.
Place slices of mozzarella covering sauce.
Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top of mozzarella.
Cover with another layer of lasagna noodles.
Cover noodles with an even layer of sauce.
Spread zucchini and spinach over the sauce.
Spread the second 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top of spinach and zucchini.
Cover with your final layer of lasagna noodles.
Spread the rest of the sauce (saving a little extra for serving).
Place slices of mozzarella covering sauce.
Spread slices of garlic.
Spread parmesan cheese.
Spread bread crumbs.
Sprinkle fresh basil and parsley.

6

Cover with foil.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Serving
7

Cut into square and serve with a ladle of sauce, topped with a sprinkle of basil and parsley.

Notes

Zucchini and Spinach Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Danny Eckes
Danny Eckes

Welcome to my personal blog! This site is dedicated to my personal interests in IT, Photography, and Cooking. Running an IT homelab and needed a website for proof of concept and constant tinkering. I figured recipes would make good content. Let's face it, finding recipes online can be challenging! Between navigating past countless ads and lengthy superfluous instructions, it takes far too long to find the actual recipe. Posting recipes here for my quick reference. Hope you can find them useful as well. Pictures (taken with mobile) and instructions written for myself.

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