in the kitchen: no-noodle lasagna

well hello there! Sorry for the radio silence these past few days-the end of the week and then the weekend just got away from me and here we are, already back at Monday. 

Let's start the week out right and make some good eats! I was able to try out a recipe that I saw on Say Yes to Hoboken for a Zucchini  lasagna that I knew I would have to try out. I love traditional lasagna and have also tried out different kinds like this AHmazing butternut squash version, but this was my first time ditching the noodles entirely for a 100% veggie lasagna. I pretty much followed the original recipe, but we happened to have some egg plant from the farmer's market, so we decided to add that in as well...definitely made the dish! If you are looking for a pretty simple Monday night meal, I would suggest giving this one a go...fresh, healthy and deelicious leftovers! 

No-noodle Lasagna adapted from Say Yes to Hoboken

Ingredients:
3-4 zucchinis, sliced lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick or less

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise same as the zucchini
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (we used a spicy mushroom red sauce)
fresh spinach, roughly chopped
16oz. container of cottage cheese
2-3 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
about 1/2 tsp dried basil
ground pepper

Directions:

-Mix together cottage cheese, egg, basil and pepper. 

-Slice zucchini and eggplant about 1/4-inch thick or less. 

-Cover bottom of glass baking dish with sauce, and then layer the following: zucchini, spinach, sauce, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella. Repeat, using the eggplant for one layer in the middle (or use it for every other layer-whatever you are in the mood for!)

-Top with fresh parm, sprinkle with dried basil. 

-Cover with foil and bake at 350-degrees for 1 hour, removing foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.

*Note: the zucchini and the eggplant definitely create a lot of moisture in the dish, so try not to fill your layers all the way to the top. It's also helpful to salt the zucchini & eggplant to help take out some of the moisture before putting the dish all together! Either way, make sure you let it sit for a few minutes before digging in!