Noodleless Zucchini Lasagna

1/2 C onion, diced
1/2 C green bell pepper, diced
3 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 - 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
6 oz. can of tomato paste
3 lbs. ground sirloin
4 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried marjoram
32 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1.5 C grated parmesan
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 C thin sliced zucchini
1.5 C fresh spinach

In a stock pot, sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in olive oil till soft. Add in tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine, salt, and pepper, and stir. Heat to a simmer and add in all spices. (You can change the quantity of spices to your liking.)

While sauce is simmering, in a separate skillet, brown ground sirloin and drain off any fat. Add cooked ground sirloin to homemade sauce and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, mix ricotta with parmesan and set aside.

Use a mandolin to slice zucchini into thin crosscut slices. (I set mine on #2 and each round slice was about 1/16 - 1/8 inch thick. You could probably experiment with cutting the zucchini long-ways too.)

Assemble lasagna in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish coated lightly with cooking spray. Start with a layer of zucchini, then spinach, then meat sauce, then ricotta mixture, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat. On the top layer, I put 1 layer of zucchini on top of ricotta before the mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes or until bubbly. Let cook before serving. It is best to bake and refrigerate overnight, then reheat the following day. It will stick together better when serving.

Serving Size: makes 1 - 9x13 pan cut into 12 servings

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JA4174.