Summer Zucchini Pesto Lasagna
Author: 
Serves: 4-6 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 3 large zucchini sliced ¼ thick long strips
  • 3 roma tomatos sliced ¼ thick rounds
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into ⅛" thin rounds (or as thin as possible)
  • ¾ cup grated parmesan
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Basil Arugula Pesto:
  • 2½ cup fresh basil
  • 3 cups arugula
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ¼ cup parmesan
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and position rack to the middle.
  2. First using a grill pan (or any pan works) set heat to medium high and very lightly grease (spray oil works great for this) add as many zucchini strips that your pan allows without overlapping (you'll need to do this in a couple of batches), cooking about 2-3 minutes a side. Lightly sprinkle with salt and then remove and lay zucchini strips on paper towel. Lay one piece of paper towel on top and continue the same cooking, salt and "drain" process until all zucchini strips are cooked. Set aside.
  3. Next in a medium sized skillet (or may use same pan as zucchini) over medium-high heat add your ground turkey and brown. Drain fat and salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
  4. Next add all of your pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
  5. Once all ingredients have been prepped you are ready to assemble the lasagna. First using a 9"x13" baking dish (or really any baking dish around that size works) take a quarter of your pesto sauce and spread out on the bottom of the dish. it will NOT be even, but just coating the bottom of the dish with a little bit of the oil from the pesto works. So don't fret. It doesn't spread out like your typical tomato sauce.
  6. Next layer the bottom of pan with zucchini strips. On top of that add another quarter (not cup, a quarter of what you have) of your pesto and spread out over strips (again, same thing here, it won't be 100 percent even and will be spotty, so don't panic). add half of your turkey meat on top, followed by half of your tomato slices, ¼ cup of parmesan sprinkled and then a third of your mozzarella slices (not a cup, just a third of what you have sliced). Repeat layers until everything is used up. I only had three layers (not including the bottom) and so I used the bulk of my ingredients in the middle two layers, finishing on top with just leftover zucchini, pesto, parmesan and mozzarella. No tomatoes or turkey meat for final topping. This makes cutting into the lasagna easier
  7. Cover the lasagna with foil (I prefer non stick) and set in oven for 30 minutes.
  8. Remove foil and let lasagna continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan and your cheese is nice and melty.
  9. Remove, let cool for 15 minutes before consumption.
Recipe by My Lavender Blues at https://mylavenderblues.com/summer-zucchini-pesto-lasagna/