Grilled Zucchini + Eggplant Lasagna

Wow, do I have amazing neighbors! Over the weekend, I was gifted two lovely and large zucchinis. I wanted to make something other than zoodles, and thought of lasagna. Great idea, but then I remembered every other attempt came out super watery and just not what I envisioned. And then, the aha! Let’s grill the veggies BEFORE we start layering them to help remove some of that moisture! Instant flavor from the char, and an added bonus of reducing moisture. Boom, done. Great as a make ahead - you could even freeze this!

What you’ll need:

-4 medium zucchinis - I had 2, but they were super large

-1-2 small to medium eggplants

-olive oil

-1 medium yellow onion - small dice

-1 pound italian sausage (or you could use ground beef, turkey, or even tofu!)

-2 garlic cloves minced

-24 oz jar of RAO’s homemade marinara

-16 oz cottage cheese

-1 egg

-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

-2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

-salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Use a mandolin (still need one?) or sharp knife to cut thin, wide, long ‘noodles’ for both the zucchini and eggplant.

2. Heat grill - get pretty hot. Grill eggplant and zucchini just slightly to achieve grill marks and start the ‘drying out’ process - about 1-2 minutes per side. Once done, set aside on a sheet pan lined with paper towels.

3. Heat saucepan over medium heat and swirl olive oil. Cook sausage until done - remove from pan but leave fat to cook onions.

4. Add onions to hot pan with leftover sausage fat, add salt and pepper - cook until onions begin to look translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add in garlic and stir so it doesn’t burn for about 3 minutes.

5. Return sausage to pan, stir to combine. Pour in marinara sauce, using a bit of water to clean out the jar (add this to pan too). Bring to a small simmer and let cook while you assemble the cheese filling and prep your station - about 10 minutes.

6. In a mixing bowl - combine cottage cheese, egg, and shredded parmesan -set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 375. I used a 8x12 pan to achieve more layers - if all you have is 9x13.. by all means! Create your station so veggies, meat sauce, cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese are all within arms reach. Create your lasagna using the following steps (pictures below):

   1. layer of zucchini, overlapping slightly and making sure entire surface is covered

   2. top with a little shredded mozzarella 

   3. layer meat sauce thin, and spreading out even and flat

   4. layer of cottage cheese mixture

   5. layer of eggplant

   6. layer of mozzarella

   7. layer of meat sauce

   8. layer of cottage cheese mixture

   9. layer of zucchini (I mixed in eggplant on this layer too)

   10. layer of meat sauce

   11. end with layer of mozzarella cheese 

8. Bake lasagna, uncovered for 30 minutes, then broil the top for 1-2 minutes for toasty cheese. *Hint: I always put an empty sheet tray on the lower level under the lasagna just in case sauce or cheese decides to get too excited and spill over. It rarely happens, I just like a clean oven. 

9. Give yourself time to let lasagna cool! 30-40 minutes rest time is ideal to help set the filling and veggies. This is even better the next day if you want to cook and make ahead, cool and refrigerate over night! 

Click here to download printable recipe card!