Cheesy Turkey and Zucchini Lasagna

Adapted from: Skinnytaste's Zucchini Lasagna
Servings: 9 (you'll get more depending on the pan size you use)

One of the hardest parts about going low carb for me has always been giving up pasta. Things like macaroni and cheese, a giant bowl of spaghetti and my absolute favorite - lasagna - were staples in my home growing up, and the idea of living without them hurts my hungry little heart. I've also been making a valid attempt at limiting my red meat consumption. Since I don't like fish, sometimes I feel like all I cook are chicken and beef. I decided to switch it up and try my hand at zucchini lasagna with ground turkey and oh-so-much cheese. If you love lots of cheese and are willing to give zucchini a shot in place of traditional lasagna noodles, you will most likely fall in love with this. Even my "meat and potatoes" fiancé ate two big servings of it.

I will tell you up front that I ignored the original recipe's advice of grilling the zucchini for a few minutes before assembling the lasagna to help soak up some excess moisture. I did my best to soak it up with a paper towel, but both Rob and I agreed we'll grill the zucchini next time.

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp olive oil

Sausage seasoning

1 monster sized zucchini (or 4-5 smaller ones), sliced thin

*if you use smaller ones, I suggest slicing them lengthwise - I got big guys, so I cut them into rounds*

2 cloves garlic, crushed

22 ounces low fat ricotta

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tsp italian seasoning

116 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup marinara sauce (I used Ragu, because I am cheap)

1 1/2 cups part skin shredded mozzarella

I told you this guy was going to be cheesy.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan, and mix together your ground turkey and sausage seasoning. I buy the 99% fat free turkey and it tends to stick to the pan without some oil. Cook turkey until brown. If you love ground turkey on its own, you don't have to add the sausage seasoning, but I have a man in the house who could detect my "healthy" attempts from a mile away, and the seasoning was delicious.

Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and your can of crushed tomatoes to your browned turkey, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice your zucchini thin (about 1/8 inch thick) and throw those babies on the grill on low for about a minute on each side. This is the step I totally bypassed, but won't make that mistake again. Listen to Gina at Skinnytaste - girl knows what she's talking about. When they're done, soak up any excess moisture with a paper towel.

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 egg, parmesan cheese and italian seasoning.

As you prepare to assemble, divide your mixtures up based on the number of layers you want to do. I got 3 layers out of my ingredients, with the final layer being zucchini, marinara and a topping of mozzarella. In a casserole dish, layer marinara sauce, zucchini, turkey mixture, ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese. Top your final layer with remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. If you like your top layer nice and browned, turn the broiler on for a minute or so at the very end.

Let it cool a few minutes before serving - I used a 9x9 pan and got 9 servings out of it, but definitely stacked it so high that it started overflowing so I'd recommend a 9x13.

Enjoy!