Zucchini Noodle Lasagna with Parsnip Cream, Lentils and Green Olives

This zucchini noodle lasagna is so delicious and healthy! Here are the great nutritious swaps this recipe makes when compared to ordinary meat lasagna:

zucchini replaces pasta
vegan soy-free parnsip cream replaces traditional cheese or bechamel
lentils replace beef

This recipe sort of fell together. I was making a late night dinner for me and my husband. Neither of us were very hungry but we wanted something that tasted nice without being too heavy. I decided to make a vegan zucchini noodle lasagna. I made a similar recipe in my cookbook Every Day Super(Food) but that recipe involves a more labor intensive "cheeze" sauce. I wanted something quick for this recipe. I created this easy to whip up parsnip cream sauce to use in place of the cheese or bechamel sauce used in traditional lasagna. What a delicious creation!

We were given several parnsips last week by one of my employers so I decided they may make a good base for a sauce in this recipe. I use parnsips in my healthy vegan alfredo sauce recipe so I thought that they might work well here too -- they totally did! They make a healthy and incredibly creamy vegan sauce that is anything but bland. I decided to make the sauce nutritional yeast free because my husband tries to avoid it as an ingredient. I was concerned the lasagna wouldn't taste cheezy enough but it totally does. What's so cool about the parsnip cream is that it browns under high heat in patches so when I added some on top of the lasagna and broiled it parts of the blobs of cream browned the way buffalo mozzarella does! So perfect.

If you make this recipe please follow it exactly. There is something magical about this particular combination of flavours. The olives in the lentil "meat" sauce add an extra umami taste that makes it so delicious. The pizza sauce instead of marinara adds lovely oregano flavour, and the parnsips add a subtle sweet and spiciness that is just lovely. I really loved this lasagna. I really hope you do too.

Zucchini Noodle Lasagna with Parnsip Cream, Lentils and Green Olives

For the "Noodles":

2 very large zucchinis

Thinly slice the zuchinis lengthwise with a cheese slicer. Place in a colander to drain before using for a few minutes.
Tomato Sauce:

1 can or small jar of Pizza sauce

Lentil "Meat" sauce:

2 cans rinsed and drained canned brown lentils
2 leaves Swiss chard, chopped small
1/2 small white onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 tsp coconut milk powder
Black pepper
Garlic powder
8 green olives, chopped small
2 tbsp evoo
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder

Sauté onions and garlic in half the oil until translucent. Add greens and let them sauté till wilted. Add remaining ingredients and heat together over high heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick. Turn heat off.
Parsnip Cream:

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped small and steamed until very soft
1 tbsp evoo
1-2 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
Garlic powder
1 cup water
Black pepper
Big pinch salt
Squeeze of lemon juice

Puree all ingredients together until silky smooth. Set aside.
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Line a large lasagne pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Arrange 1/3 of the zucchini noodles on the bottom as you would lasagne noodles. Add a few tbsp of the cream sauce and spread out over the noodles. Then add a layer of 2/3 of the meat sauce. Top with next 1/2 the remaining noodles to cover then top with some more cream, lots of pizza sauce and the rest of the meat sauce. Add final layer of zucchini, then cover with tomato sauce and then dollops of the remaining cream. Drizzle with evoo and a few cranks pepper.

Bake in a 400F oven for 10-15 mins, then broil on high for a few minutes until the parsnip cream dollops get slightly browned (should resemble cooked Buffalo mozzarella on a pizza). Serve.

Duze

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