It's the tail end of an Indian Summer, and just in case you had better luck in the garden than I did this year and still have squashes on the vine, I have a gorgeously delicious (and low fat) recipe to share.Usually during the summer, I have a plethora of squash coming out of my garden. However this year, my squash plants got hammered by white flies {the bastards} and my harvest was meager.
But, I was able to make this awesome low fat lasagne with a couple of zucchinis and a peter pan summer squash.
Why it's called peter pan {according to the nursery} and not patty pan {like at the farmer's market} is beyond me.
It looks just like patty pan that I normally buy at the market, so I just call it Summer Squash, so there. Pffft!
Low Fat Zucchini & Summer Squash Lasagne
Ingredients
Whole wheat lasagne noodles, cooked according to package instructions
1-2 Zucchini, sliced into long planks
1 Summer Squash, cubed
Your favorite tomato sauce
Appx 1 lb. ground meat {I used turkey in this particular batch}
1 tub low fat ricotta
1 brick low fat mozzarella, shredded
Fresh parmesan
garlic salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Boil water and cook lasagne noodles until al dente. Make sure not to overcook them, or they will fall apart when you try to handle them. They will finish cooking in the oven.
Brown your meat, and season with garlic salt and pepper. Don't be stingy with the garlic salt - that flavor needs to be strong enough to penetrate the sauce and cheese, while not overpowering the dish. I would guess that I use about a tablespoon for a pound of meat. When the meat is browned, add the sauce, stir, bring up to heat, then put at a nice low simmer.
Mix about 1/3-1/2 of the shredded mozzarella with the ricotta, and throw in some fresh parmesan {I use just a little, it's pretty strong when it's fresh}.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a glass baking dish, layer the ingredients as follows.
Layers:
Thin layer of sauce {to keep noodles from sticking to the dish}
1/2 of the noodles
1/2 of the cheese mixture
1/2 of the sauce
Squashes!
remaining cheese mixture
remaining noodles
remaining sauce
top with mozzarella
Bake at 350 degrees until the sauce is bubbly and the mozzarella is just beginning to brown, approximately 30-45 minutes.
Serve with green salad and a nice crisp Pale Ale or wheat beer.
Cheers!
>^..^<
