Farmer Jess’ Zucchini Lasagna
Farmer Jess’ Zucchini Lasagna
BY FARMER JESSIngredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced in rounds and salted
1 pound ground sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 pound ricotta
3 tablespoons mixture of fresh chives and thyme
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of salt
For the Sauce
4 pounds tomatoes — Romas or another large tomato
1⁄4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
A good drizzle of balsamic vinegar
A generous drizzle of honey
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
Slice zucchini, salt it and set aside on paper towels to draw out some moisture.
Cook sausage with diced onion.
Once sausage is cooked through and onion is translucent, set aside to be added to the sauce later on.
Mix ricotta with chives, thyme, lemon, salt.
Make the sauce
Halve tomatoes and squeeze to release the seeds into a bowl (the seeds can make the sauce bitter).
Place tomato in a separate bowl and crush with a large spoon or potato masher. You can choose to remove the skins from the bowl or leave them in for the sauce. I choose to leave them in, but this is a matter of personal preference.
Put olive oil and garlic in a pan on the stove and heat over medium just until you can smell the garlic.
Add tomatoes and salt to the pan and cook uncovered at a simmer until sauce thickens, around 10 minutes.
After sauce has thickened, add your balsamic vinegar and honey. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Once sauce has reached desired consistency, add fresh basil, sausage and onion and try to resist the urge of eating this sauce as a soup.
Assembly
In a 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of sauce across the bottom of the pan, top with a layer of zucchini, 2⁄3 cup of ricotta mixture and 1⁄3 of sauce. Repeat twice, ending with a layer of ricotta and sauce.
Cooking Instructions
Place in a 400 degree F oven for 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes once you remove the lasagna from the oven. Top with as much fresh basil as your heart desires.
For extra enjoyment, serve outside at a table filled with those you love, a bouquet of sunflowers and the memories of summer’s past, with hope for those to come.
