Here is another dish great dish for potluck or just as a side dish. It is simple to make and can be made ahead of time and reheated. Here is my take on zucchini lasagna.

The first step is making a simple marinara sauce.  You will need a can of tomatoes, onion, garlic and fresh oregano.

Start by sauteing the onions in some olive oil.  Lightly brown them and add 1 can of whole Roma tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.  Mash the tomatoes lightly with a potato masher. Add a bay leaf and fresh oregano.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce is simmering,  start preparing the zucchini.  I highly recommend using a mandoline to slice the zucchini into strips. It makes it so easy and you get perfectly even slices.  I skipped salting the zucchini because I didn’t want to add more salt to the recipe and I was lazy. Next time I think I would try this because the zucchini was hard to roll up and there was quite a lot of liquid at the bottom of the dish.

For the left over ends, I chopped them up and tossed them onto the bottom of the baking pan.  Why not?  Eat it now or eat it later!

Next I prepared the filling. I used frozen chopped kale and fresh oregano.  I added some salt and pepper to taste. 

Sautee until the kale is wilted.

Finally it is time to assemble.  Remove the bay leaves from the sauce.  Pour a little of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.

On each zucchini slice add a little sauce and filling.

Gently roll up the zucchini. Try not the break them.  The first few will spring out so try to used a fork or bowl to hold them down.  Once you get enough in stacked the rolls in, they will hold in place. Pour any remaining sauce and filling on top.

Last step, top with some cheese.

Bake for 45 min or until the top is golden brown.   

Recipe inspired by https://www.asaucykitchen.com/vegetarian-zucchini-lasagna-spirals/

Marinara sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 1 can whole Roma tomatoes or you can used crushed
  
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 salt & pepper to taste

Heat your frying pan and sautee the onions in some olive oil.  Stir until the onions are lightly browned.  Add the garlic and sautee for a  minute or two.  Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar. Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher. I prefer using the unsalted Roma tomatoes because I think they have more flavor. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper and allow to simmer.

Zucchini Lasagna

• 2 cups frozen chopped kale
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4-5 medium zucchini sliced

Slice the zucchini using a mandoline. (Way easier than doing it with a knife.)  With the left over ends of zucchini, chopped them finely and toss on the bottom of the pan. (You don’t want to waste them).  Add a tiny amount of sauce onto the bottom of the pan. On each zucchini slice, add a little sauce and filling. You only need about 1 tbsp of each.  Gently roll up the zucchini. Try not the break them.  The first few will spring out so try to used a fork or bowl to hold them down.  Once you get enough rolls in the pan, they will hold in place. Pour any remaining sauce and filling on top.  Top with some cheese. Bake for 45 min or until the top is golden brown.   Serve as a side dish or bring to a potluck. You can even experiment with the filling. Try adding ricotta cheese or some Italian sausage.

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