Zucchini Lasagna with Turkey (and cottage cheese!)

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb lean ground turkey (I use 93%)
• 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (can sub plain Greek yogurt with pinch of salt, or a mix!)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided (plus freshly ground black pepper)
• 1 24oz jar high-quality marinara sauce, like Rao's
• 1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped basil

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 375F. Line an extra large baking sheet (ideally an extra large one) with parchment paper. Place cottage cheese in a fine mesh sieve and and tap it to drain (this helps avoid watery lasagna) while you prep.

2. 2

   Prep zucchini: Chop ends off zucchini and thinly slice into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch. I did this by hand and they were definitely not even, that's ok! The thinner the zucchini, the more tender it'll be. Place on baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and bake for 10 minutes. Once they come out, blot water on top with a dish towel to remove as much water as you can.

3. 3

   Make meat sauce: Place oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and cook for 1 min, stirring often. Add turkey and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, until it's no longer pink. Drain any liquid well. Stir in jar of sauce and remove from heat.

4. 4

   Make cheese layer: Place drained cottage cheese (if using yogurt, add a good pinch of salt), parmesan, egg, dried parsley, and a few grinds of pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Mix to combine.

5. 5

   Assemble: Spread 1 cup meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with half of the zucchini slices (it's ok if they overlap a bit), 1 more cup of meat sauce, half of the cottage cheese mixture, 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella, and a sprinkle of basil. Repeat with remaining zucchini, 1 cup meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese, and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Finish with remaining sauce (you'll have about 3/4 cup), 1/4 cup mozzarella, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp parmesan.

6. 6

   Bake for 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and digging in! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.