I know, another zucchini and bacon recipe....but for those of you with gardens, you know you are loving this! I promise we won't have any more zucchini for a while, but I am making sure none of your spoils go to waste!
This delicious, cheesy, ooey gooey lasagna is so yummy! It may sound weird, but with fresh, summery zucchini, TONS of bacon (2 layers), three types of cheese, and a little pinch of nutmeg, it’s just bursting with flavor. It’s fun to make and super impressive because you get to toss around phrases like “fontina cheese”, “freshly grated nutmeg” and “Oh, I’m just whipping up a béchamel sauce!”
Give it a try… you won’t be disappointed! :)
Béchamel Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt, pepper, & freshly grated nutmeg
Lasagna:
1 zucchini, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
3 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb Bacon, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1 cup of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce
3 oz smoked mozzarella cheese
4 oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles
Directions:
Dice zucchini, add garlic, coat with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Roast in an 8×8 baking dish at 400 degrees for 15 mins until soft. Leave oven on at 400, and save the 8×8 dish for the lasagna.
Combine the zucchini, 1/2 chopped bacon (save half for later), Parmesan, fontina, egg, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside.
To make the béchamel sauce: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the béchamel sauce.
Pour the béchamel sauce into the bottom of the 8×8 dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles, the zucchini mixture, 2 more lasagna noodles, the remaining 1/2 chopped Bacon, the marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a little more parmesan cheese to top.
Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 400 until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Recipe adapted from: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/zucchini-bacon-three-cheese-lasagna.html
