A twist on the traditional: Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

I love the idea of taking a regular, everyday dish, and making it into something new. One of my favourite bloggers/cookbook authors is Sarah Matheny of the website Peas and Thankyou. Her take on a lasagna is fantastic. It's much lighter and tastier than your regular pasta, cheese and meat-filled lasagna. 

Zucchini lasagna, filled with vegetables and 100% gluten-free is a fantastic addition to any week night dinner schedule. Believe it or not, my spouse hates both zucchini and quinoa (the two main ingredients in this dish). However, he does like this dish. I think it has to do with the vegan cream cheese, and the other flavours that make it, well, delicious! I had never heard of a lasagna variation like this before. I've had vegetarian lasagna made with eggplant and zucchini (which act as the noodles), but this one sounded much better :) 


This recipe always make waaaaaay too much for two people, so it always ends up being the next days lunch. It actually stands up pretty good the next day as well. 

The picture had to be of the whole dish, as it just looked too sloppy when I took it out, but boy did it taste goooood.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 2 large zucchini, cut into 12 thin, 1/4 in. thick slices
• salt
• 1 c. quinoa, rinsed
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1/2 c. tomato sauce
• 1/4 c. minced onion
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 T. organic or non-dairy cream cheese 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jar organic marinara sauce
• 1/2 c. organic or non-dairy cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400.
• To prepare zucchini, cut a strip off of one side to make a flat base. Then, thinly slice zucchini into “noodles.” You’ll want 12 noodles in total.
• Place noodles in a colander and sprinkle with salt, layering between paper towels.
• Let this sit and absorb moisture while preparing the quinoa.
• Combine quinoa, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, onion and oregano in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Cover and lower heat, simmering for 20 minutes.
• When quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, fold in cream cheese and herbs.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, and try not to eat the whole pot.
• Pour enough of marinara in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish to cover the bottom.
• Using a clean dry towel, blot remaining moisture and salt from zucchini and layer 4 noodles across the sauce.

• Put a layer of quinoa across the zucchini, and cover with another 1/3 c. of marinara sauce.
• Repeat with another layer of quinoa, sauce and zucchini.
• Top the final layer of zucchini with remaining sauce and 1/2 c. of cheese, if using.
• Bake lasagna for 30 minutes, until heated through and zucchini is tender.

The original recipe can be found at the following Peas and Thankyou