Creamy zucchini lasagne

I’ve been on-the-go recently. Between sick family members, visiting relatives, work commitments and life, I’m exhausted. The last thing I’ve wanted to think about when I get home is ‘what are we having for dinner?’ It makes me sad to put that into words, because I love cooking.

Out of energy and ideas, I remembered I had some marinara sauce from a previous meal leftover in the fridge. I also had some zucchini that were trying to escape the vegetable drawer for their chance at a better life. Et voila! That’s dinner taken care of.

Not only is this a meat-free meal, but it’s also very quick to make. You can also make it ahead of time, and I’d recommend always having some of that magnificent marinara sauce in the freezer for occasions such as this one.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 9 dried lasagne sheets (you can use the ‘fresh’ variety from supermarkets, I’ve included instructions below)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 700g zucchini (about 6), coarsely grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250g tub ricotta cheese
• 50g cheddar cheese
• 350g ‘Quick and easy marinara sauce‘ (you can also use store bought tomato pasta sauce)

Method

1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan-forced. Put a pan of water on to boil, then cook the lasagne sheets for about 5 minutes until softened, but not cooked through. Rinse in cold water, then drizzle with a little oil to stop them sticking together. (If using the packaged ‘fresh’ variety, allow to thaw before cooking … Yes, it’s that simple!)
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry onion. After 3 minutes, add zucchini and garlic and continue to fry until the zucchini has softened and turned bright green. Stir in 2/3 of both the ricotta and the cheddar, then season to taste. Heat the marinara sauce in the microwave for 2 minutes on High until hot.
3. In a large baking dish, layer up the lasagne, starting with half the zucchini mix, then pasta, then marinara sauce. Repeat, top with blobs of the remaining ricotta, then scatter with the rest of the cheddar. Bake on the top shelf for about 10 minutes until the pasta is tender and the cheese is golden.