Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

My husband Lulu has become such a garden expert over the years. This morning he harvested over 2 pounds of zebra striped zucchini in our garden, which left me almost speechless. I wasn’t expecting to make a zucchini dish today, but that’s half the fun of having your own vegetable garden!

I decided to prepare a vegetarian zucchini lasagna. The dish consists of three elements: a creamy béchamel sauce, an enormous amount of pan-fried zucchini and my special lasagna sheets from my Haute Potato cookbook. Instead of using regular lasagna pasta sheets, I used homemade gnocchi dough flattened into long thin sheets. When writing Haute Potato, I really tried to think outside the box and came up with a few potato recipes that I believe haven't been created before. If you don't have time, you can always substitute with the store-bought regular lasagna sheets. But if you have time to cook during this long Memorial Day weekend, give my Haute Potato recipe a try; rest assured your efforts will be rewarded.

Mushroom Lasagna Recipe

I just found out September was National Mushroom Month, so to celebrate the occasion, I made one of our family's favorites: vegetarian mushroom lasagna. I used cremini mushrooms, which have the right size and texture for lasagna. Onions and tomato sauce also play an important role in the dish, as of course does the cheesy white sauce. I included soy chorizo to provide some protein and a little kick to the meal. If you’re not a vegetarian, you could of course substitute ground meat in its place.

The layers of the lasagna can be a little soft, so I topped it with a Parmesan and bread mixture. I find this dish to be comfort food at its best: rich, flavorful and bold while still being familiar. Definitely worth the effort!