Zucchini Lasagne (Inspired by Rachel Ray)

I always get a new dish idea each time I watch Rachel Ray.  Her cooking is a simple style to make and is always tasty!  I tape the show daily and when I have time, I scroll through the guest lists.  Tim Tibow was on recently.  He has been following a Keto diet for years and this dish falls into that category.  Simply put, he explained he eats meat and good fats but avoid carbs and sugar.  BTW, he looks awesome.  I'm not on the Keto diet, or any diet for that matter, but this dish looked perfect for me and my family.  It also looked perfect as a reheated leftover.  On days my son has to work directly from arriving home from school I love to have things like this in the refrigerator.  It affords him to a real meal before work since he works the dinner shift. 

I only saw the dish made and didn't pull up the recipe so it isn't Rachel's verbatim but close enough.  You can go to her show's website and see exactly what she did.  She didn't use Marinara in her meat and I added it because the acid of the tomato balances the fat.

This made 8 zucchini halves allowing 2 per person.  The ratios I selected worked perfectly.  If you feel you want some carbs warm crusy bread comes to mind.  For a Vegetarian version, roast in Olive Oil, Sliced Mushroom, Wedges of Red Onions, 1/2" Diced Bell Pepper, and 1" Cubed Eggplant for about 20-25 Minutes in a 350 degree oven tossing very 6-8 minutes - obviously omitting the meat.

I bought 4 Medium Zucchini on the plumb side.  Preheat oven to 350.  Rinse and cut off both ends and slice down the middle.  I used my melon baller to scoop out the seeds creating a well.  Don't go all the way to the ends so nothing can fall out.  Place on a sheet pan and brush with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Salt and Pepper and Roast for 15-20 min till sizzling.  Set aside when done.  

I used 1.25 lbs of Ground Chuck.  Add 1 TBL of Olive Oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.  Dice 1/2 small Onion.  Sweat the onion til it glistens - about 3 minutes.  Add meat and cook lightly, breaking it up but keep it chunky so it doesn't resemble bb's.  Because it is going into the oven, don't cook it throughly to prevent it drying out completely.  Season with Salt & Pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp Oregano and 1 TBL Fresh Parsley.  I had fresh made Marinara on hand.  Add about 1/2 Cup Marinara and stir to combine.  Turn off heat.  

This is the good part.  In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt 4 Oz Mascarpone in 1/4 Cup of Heavy Cream, stirring the entire time.  It will make a nice smooth sauce.  Remove from heat when smooth.  

Make sure the zucchini are close together.  Top each one til almost overflowing.  Top with the white sauce.  Using 8oz Mozarella Cheese, top each with cheese.  Then Dizzzle with a tiny bit of good Olive Oil and sprinke with Oregano.    

You can assemble up to this point.  You can even make ahead and refrigerate overnight.
If you do that, remove from refrierator while the oven is warming.  

So when ready, preheat oven to 375.  Add pan to the oven and bake for 20-25 min.  I wanted the mixture bubbly and the cheese browned so I switched to a convection broil for the last few minutes.  In any event, stay close by so you don't over cook this.  

The zucchini was still al dente while the filling was warm and bubbly.  This was a delicious meal.  I can see making it as a group for a large family gathering, it's very forgiving.  Like I said, it can be made in the morning or even the day before.  Perfect for a snowy winter dinner with warm bread and a glass of Chianti!  

Other options, you can make baby versions using baby zucchini and serve 1/2 as an appetizer or serve a platter of them on an hor's doeurve table. Want to reduce calories, use ground chicken.  An absolutlely perfect recipe!!