Italian lasagna with zucchini

This is an original Italian lasagna recipe with a tasty zucchini. It takes more than two hours to prepare it, one hour to cook the stew and an hour to bake the lasagna, but the final result is perfect. Prepare it immediately if you want to amaze your family! :)

Level: medium
Cost: medium
Calories: high

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 120 mins
Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 200 g cheese

The stew:

• 200 g minced beef meat
• 200 g minced pork meat
• 500 ml tomato sauce
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon provencal herbs
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• salt
• pepper

Bechamel sauce:

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 50 g butter
• 1/2 l milk (2 cups)
• salt
• white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

1. Simmer the chopped onion with 2 tablespoon of hot olive oil, add the minced beef and pork meat, the chopped tomato and the condiments. Stir it and cook for 30 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and cook for another 30 minutes in medium heat. If you have time you can cook it for more than a half hour, the longer is better.
2. Meanwhile prepare the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, when it’s melted add the flour and stir until is smooth. Cook 5 minutes, until the mixture turns light golden color. Stir in the milk, make sure you stir well, so the sauce doesn’t have lumps. Cook 10 minutes, stirring continuously, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg, then remove from heat.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 360°F.
4. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a baking try. Spread a layer of lasagna noodle, then a layer of thin sliced zucchini, then the meat stew and the bechamel sauce. Repeat layering the same way. Top off with white sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the dish.
5. Cover it covered with foil and bake it for 50 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edge. Then uncover it and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and is golden brown.
6. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!