Renny's Recipes: Zucchini Lasagna

Hi there everyone! It's Lindsey and I'm doing my first post for a new series. I have a goal this year of eating healthier, losing all the weight I've gained since PH and I started dating, and being better about meal planning and prepping.
I know these goals are similar to the goals many people set for themselves with the new year, so I thought, "hey, I should share a healthy recipe every week!" This is going to be great for all of us! It'll keep me on track with my goals since all of you wonderful readers and followers will be expecting a recipe each week, and you'll get to profit from it since I'll try new recipes and only share the ones I like!
I decided to call it Renny's Recipes. Renny is a nickname I was given by some friends in college, and it makes for a nice title don't you think? This week I'll be sharing with you how to make some amazing and delicious Zucchini Lasagna!

Not only does this recipe up the vegetable factor, but it lowers calories and carbohydrates since you use zucchini in the place of lasagna noodles. It's also great for people with gluten issues. There is no pasta here, and it tastes great!
I originally found this recipe on a website called Skinny Taste, which you can find here. I've made a few tweaks to it which I will share with you here in Photo form.
First and foremost I want to talk about my mandolin. Alicia got to be the cheater on our Friday favs and share two, so I didn't get to talk to you about my mandolin. I love my spiralizer for making long thin zoodles that are more like spaghetti noodles, but for this recipe, and many other recipes, the mandolin  is where it's at.
It'll slice your vegetables lengthwise and make them nice and even, which is especially handy when you're using them in a lasagna dish like this one. I actually have two mandolins, because PH had one before we got married, and I bought one before we got married too, specifically to make this recipe. You can find mandolins similar to mine here (this one has a bowl to catch the slices of veggies in), and here. I promise you, a mandolin slicer  makes all the difference in the world!
The first time I made this recipe, PH was very skeptical. I made it for a family with a mother undergoing chemotherapy treatments and a little girl that was getting tested for Celiac's disease. This was the first dish that came to mind, and of course, if I was making it for them, I was just going to make enough for the two of us as well! I can tell you, it was a huge hit, and when I told him I was making it this week, PH was pretty happy about it.

The secret to the zucchini is to salt the noodles and let them sit for a few minutes. This draws out the water. Can you see it sitting on top? Just blot it away!

Here are the major flavor players in this recipe!

I use 93% lean ground turkey and season it with salt and Italian seasoning while it browns. I drain the fat when it's done.

The original recipe calls for crushed tomatoes. I use diced and drain the liquid so my sauce is really more just meat. If you want a little more liquid don't drain the tomatoes. I just find that although I salt my zucchini, I like to keep my sauce as sauceless as possible!

mix up the ricotta, parmesan cheese and an egg in a bowl as another layer

You can see you layer it just like any lasagna. Using the mandolin you'll get some odd pieces depending on how your zucchini are shaped. Those will help close in any little gaps.

Zucchini Lasagna

I adjusted the measurements in this recipe for what I used to feed PH and I. Don't worry, we still had PLENTY of leftovers. I've linked to the original. She makes hers in a 9x13 pan if you'd like a larger lasagna.
This lasagna is delicious and you'll love it! I served it with fruit since I'm trying so hard to have good balance in our meals. You could do a nice side salad, or some garlic bread! I really never understood a side of bread with pasta, but garlic bread is delicious so I never complained. Now you can have some and not feel guilty about it! Just heat some french bread in a 450 degree F oven with some butter and garlic spread over it. When it gets a little toasty it's done!
Let me know what you serve as a side to your lasagna, and if you get a mandolin, give me a review on the difference it makes in your meals!