No-Bake Zucchini Lasagna

I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest...it's from the Fauxmartha website. I try really hard to have a meatless night once a week...mainly for weight control reasons. This is so easy to make and so clean and refreshing to eat. The kids eat this in a different form. I make theirs just the same, but instead of layering with lasagana noodles I make them penne. The veggies in the sauce and the zucchini on the side guarantee they will get their dose of veggies at dinner.

Ingredients:
Sauce 
1/4 sweet onion diced
1/2 carrot, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TBS olive oil
3 cups pearl tomatoes, diced
1 TBS fresh basil, chopped
dash of thyme
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Filling
8 lasagna noodles, broken in half crosswise
2 zucchinis, halved then chopped
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup light ricotta
3 TBS grated Parmesean
1 TBS fresh chopped basil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring salted water to a boil in a shallow pan.

2. Meanwhile, make sauce. In a medium skillet on medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute onion, carrot, and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil and thyme. Cook for another 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. In a food processor lightly pulse sauce and set aside (I like to keep it on the stove on low).

3. Cook noodles according to package directions.

4. Heat 1 TBS olive oil in skillet and cook zucchini for about 12 minutes on medium-high heat or until desired tenderness. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Meanwhile stir together ricotta, parmesean, basil and 1 TBS olive oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

6. To prepare, add a little sauce to each plate (4). Top with a noodle, then thin layer of ricotta mixture, then zucchini. Top with a little sauce and then another noodle and so on. Repeat 2 times total. Garnish with remaining sauce, parmesean and basil. Serve.

The trick to this meal is not to serve it cold. That is why I keep the sauce on the stove and be ready to plate as soon as zucchini is done. If need be, make and then place in 200 degree oven for about 5 minutes to heat up.

After tonight I think we will eat it the kids way. Just makes sense!