No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

Okay, I feel like our first reaction to anything with zucchini is a negative one. But it can be substituted into many different recipes to make foods healthier and lower in carbohydrates. Pasta is very high in carbs, but I love to eat lasagna. My sister found this recipe and we tried it. It is actually very good. It doesn't taste identical to regular lasagna, of course, but it is a nice option for a healthier meal filled with energy-giving veggies.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time:  1 hour
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- Hot water as needed
- 1 egg
- 1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander. *
3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta cheese, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.
5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Than layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information: (Per Serving)
- Calories: 494
- Total Fat: 27.3g
- Cholesterol: 121mg
- Sodium: 2200mg
- Total Carbs: 23.2g
- Dietary Fiber: 5.8g
- Protein: 41.3g

* We found that it was helpful to make sure that you have enough time earlier in the day to dry the zucchini.