Lasagna minus the noodles!?!

Pasta craving AGAIN!!! Well kinda... If you are a regular reader of my blog you probably know by now that that I am obsessed with pasta (hey I am Italian after all) and I am obsessed even more with making healthy versions of Italian comfort food dishes... such as meatballs, pizza, but most importantly pasta dishes... my healthy version of bolognese,  and my all time favorite, baked pasta.

So here is my version of healthier lasagna which can be enjoyed by vegetarians (if you exclude the chicken) and those who have to eat GF, can you see a difference?

This is my lasagna right out of the oven. It smelled so good in my kitchen.

So as I was sitting at home on a lazy Sunday afternoon (there was no Steeler football) I decided I wanted Lasagna but I also was craving veggies. I am one of those people that can eat veggies plain, no dressing, no cheese... I Just love veggies and for some reason I really wanted then for dinner. So as I sat on the couch I put both ideas into my head and I came up with this.... Zucchini Lasagna.

I still had some of my homemade Ricotta cheese left over so I started with the cheese stuffing.

Filling Ingredients

3/4 cup home made ricotta (store bought is fine, just not as impressive lol j/k)

3/4 cup light or fat free cream cheese

1 6oz. container plain Chobani yogurt

Lasagna Ingredients

3-4 zucchini (depending on size)

1/2 large white onion

1lb ground chicken

a few handfuls of spinach (yes very precise I know)

If you have a mandolin use it to cut the zucchini evenly. If not go buy one lol... in all seriousness it has made my life in the kitchen so much easier! You can also use your food processor if it has a slicing option.

I always layer the bottom of my dish with sauce to prevent sticking. (I used my homemade pomodoro sauce) and next came the zucchini.

My favorite part… filling the lasagna. First comes the cheese, which I personally could eat alone but I decided Brian would not have enjoyed this as much without any filling so I controlled myself. Then add cooked ground chicken, (which can be omitted easily to make this a complete vegetarian dish), then top with sliced onions.

Remember that precise measuring of the spinach... now you get to use it :o) take a handful of fresh (not frozen) spinach and spread atop the onions and add some sauce.

Do the exact same thing for layer number 2.

Then my favorite... On top of layer number 2 add zucchini, cheese, another layer of zucchini and sauce. Now your lasagna is ready for the oven. This is also the time to sprinkle on any cheese you would like on the top. Try to stick to fresh (hard) cheeses such as Pecorino or Parmesan.

Bake uncovered 350 for about 45 min.

I have to admit I was a bit worried that I would not have dinner for Brian since I kinda just "invented" this in my head earlier.

But once I opened the oven I knew it would be ok... well at least it smelled amazing.

So all that was left to do is slice and enjoy! Enjoy I did... and so did Brain when he got home from work.

For a meal that I made up on the go (which is usually how most of my meals start) I have to say this was SUPER!!!! It had all the great flavor a normal Lasagna would have but with a super fresh taste.
We even got to enjoy this for 2 more days in our lunch.

What is your favorite comfort food? How do you make it healthy?
Ciao and pasta love... kinda

Alexis