Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna
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Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 large zucchini, roughly 12-16 slices sliced 1/4” thin
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
- 3 cups Marinara sauce
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Pinch of salt plus extra for the zucchini
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Put the quinoa and butter in a pan and saute over medium for about 5-7 minutes or until the quinoa smells nutty. They will also get slightly browned (don’t burn them!). Also, stir gently while they are cooking.
- Pour the vegetable stock and 1 cup of marinara in and bring just to a boil.
- Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- While this is boiling, take the zucchini slices and lay them down on a paper towel.
- Lightly sprinkle with salt (maybe 1/2 teaspoon over all of them) and then cover with another paper towel. This will help draw out the liquid in them so your dish will not get mushy.
- In a separate bowl, add in the cooked quinoa, ricotta, parmesan cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, spices and egg.
- Stir well and fast (you don’t want the egg to cook). It will become creamier. You want it blended.
- Put 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8×8 casserole dish (you want a deep dish one!) If you don’t have a deep dish one, use a 9×13” dish.
- Line the bottom with 4 slices of zucchini
- Add 1/2 of quinoa mixture.
- Top with sliced mushrooms (optional)
- Add 1/2 cup of marinara sauce.
- Repeat by adding another layer of zucchini, the rest of the quinoa, mushrooms and 1/2 cup of sauce.
- Add last layer of zucchini and top with remaining marinara sauce.
- Cover with foil and place the dish on a cookie sheet to catch any spillage.
- Cook for 35 minutes.
- Remove foil and top with remaining mozzarella.
- Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the zucchini can be pierced with a sharp knife. You don’t want it super soft. You want it to still be just slightly firm.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.