In a effort to lighten up a bit, I decided to replicate a favorite comfort dish.  I replaced lasagna noodles with zucchini (since I had a few lying around) and substituted sautéed veggies for sausage.  I do have to say, I should NOT have gone with my gut, and cut down the cheese by half or so.  Anyhoo, here’s what I did (with recommendations of cheese use).

Ingredients:

• Bottle of Bolognese Sauce *I never buy store bought sauce… being an italian and all, my family would be so disappointed!  But I wanted a quick meal, and had no homemade sauce at home – so forgive me.
• 1/2 cup whole milk Ricotta
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella
• 3 large Zucchini, sliced long ways
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Get a grill pan nice an hot, over medium-high heat.  Coat zucchini in olive oil and salt and pepper, and grill on each side for a few minutes, or until they have grill marks.  Sauté onions and mushrooms in olive oil with salt and pepper, until soft – about 8 minutes.  Mix Mozzarella & Ricotta with salt & pepper in a bowl. Line an 8×8 baking dish (I always use ceramic – so easy to clean!) with some sauce (no need to heat sauce first).  Do a layer of zucchini, dot with cheese, sprinkle with veggies, top with sauce, repeat until you’ve used up the ingredients.  I got 2 layers out of it – finishing with zucchini.  Top with a final layer of sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake for around 15-20 minutes – or until bubbly and delicious.  Service with a nice glass o red wine, and buon appetito!