I tried a new recipe this week and it turned out so great that my family thought I should share it.  We love meaty, cheesy lasagna, but, unless you can make your own pasta from soaked, freshly ground flour, what do we use instead of noodles?  I had heard of zucchini used instead of noodles, but usually it’s a vegetarian lasagna.  So I came up with a combination that we really liked.  The brands I used are in parentheses.  Here’s the recipe:

1 lb, fresh pork sausage (Georgia’s)
1 lb, ground grassfed beef (Law Family Ranch)
1 organic green pepper, chopped
1 medium organic onion, chopped
2 cans organic tomato sauce (Muir Glen)
1 tablespoon organic dried basil (Frontier)
1 tablespoon organic dried Italian seasoning (McCormick)
3 to 4 large zucchini, peeled and sliced thin, longwise, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch (local farmers’ market)
16 oz cottage cheese (Stryk’s Dairy raw milk cottage cheese)
1 pound organic cheese, shredded, Mozzarella or Provolone
8 ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.  When meat is browned, add chopped green pepper and onion and cook until onion is translucent.  Add tomato sauce, basil, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Cover the bottom of the lasagna pan with a layer of zucchini.  Cover the zucchini with half of the meat sauce mixture, then add half of the shredded cheese. Spread all of the cottage cheese evenly over the shredded cheese.  Repeat layers of zucchini, meat sauce, and shredded cheese.  Sprinkle 4 oz. grated parmigiano Reggiano over the top of the lasagna.

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until cheese is browned.  Serve with extra grated Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.

Note:  The zucchini will have liquid in the bottom of the pan.  You can serve with a slotted spatula to drain off some of the liquid if you prefer.  Our family found that the thick sauce-like liquid left in the pan tasted great on its own or spooned over the servings of lasagna.  Whatever you do, don’t throw it out–it’s delicious!

Sources:  The organic herbs, organic vegetables, and organic cheeses can be found in many farmers’ markets, grocery or health food stores.  For sources of grassfed, pastured meats and raw milk cheeses go the the Local Resources page on the Houston-Galveston WAPF chapter website.