No Bake Summer Lasagna

I pulled this recipe out of a fitness magazine, but I thought it sounded tasty.  I have always like lasagna, but who in the summer wants to run their oven for over an hour and eat a flaming hot meal when it is 90 degrees outside?

This recipe is just as time consuming as regular lasagna to prep and put together, but after you prep it, you get to eat it, no baking required. I loved how it had so many more veggies in it!  We ate it with a salad on the side and some garlic toast.  Michael thought it was better than regular lasagna, and if it passes the Michael test, you know its good (not like the sour cream and bacon chicken I made the other night, good, but too greasy!).  This recipe isn't paleo or even gluten free, but you could easily make it gluten free by substituting gluten free lasagna noodles.  And it is vegetarian, yet so filling.  I have been trying to make one meat free meal a week.  Not that I am against meat (not at all, especially not while I am pregnant!) but I do think there are some good benefits to focusing more on veggies and fruit.  Anyway, I hope you like it as much as we did!

Courtesy of Fitness Magazine

No Bake Summer Lasagna w/Corn Relish

Ingredients:

• 8 Lasagna Noodles
• 1 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
• 1 TBS + 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 Medium zucchini sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 3 ears fresh corn cut from cob (I just used 1 can of corn and cut back on the lemon juice and scallions)
• 2 scallions thinly sliced (I just used onion, but maybe scallions have more flavor)
• 2 TBS lemon juice (I just used one with the can of corn)

Directions:

1. Cook noodles until al dente and toss with 1 tsp of the oil, then arrange on a baking sheet.
2. In medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 TBS thyme, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp salt.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1.5 tsp oil and then add zucchini to cook, flipping once until browned, about 4 minutes.  Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper and transfer to plate.  Add another 1.5 tsp oil so you can saute the garlic and bell pepper, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes until crisp tender.  Season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper and add to plate with zucchini.
4. In large bowl, combine corn, scallions, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. 
5. Cut noodles in half and lay one half on each of four plates.  Top with 1.5 TBS ricotta and zucchini.  Top with second noodle, 1.5 TBS ricotta and 1/4 C. corn relish.  Top with third noodle, 1.5 TBS ricotta, and bell pepper mix.  Lay the last and fourth noodle on top, finishing with 1.5 TBS ricotta and another 1/4 cup corn relish, sprinkling with fresh thyme. 
6. Enjoy!

I found that it needed more salt then what the recipe called for, but you taste and salt to your liking.  I also did not add the lemon zest to the ricotta, and I used italian seasonings instead of just thyme.  I also added some parmesan to the top of the lasagnas and into the ricotta mix.