Zucchini Lasagna with Turkey (and cottage cheese!)

Step 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.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

Place drained cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, dried parsley, and a few grinds of pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Mix to combine.

Step 5

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.

Step 6

Bake for 35 minutes.  Let stand for 15 minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and digging in!