Ham and Zucchini Lasagne

 I had big plans for Sunday dinner that included simmering a marinara sauce for an hour. They didn't pan out. Instead, store-bought sauce became necessary and this became a quick weeknight dinner.

Ham and Zucchini Lasagne

2 small tubs of ricotta
1/4 c. parmesan
1 T finely chopped basil and oregano
1 zucchini, sliced,
1 cup diced ham
olive oil
1 c. chopped or shredded mozzarella
1 jar bechamel sauce (or make your own)
1 jar marinara sauce (ditto)
Lasagna sheets

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

In a bowl, stir together ricotta, parmesan, ham and herbs.

Oil the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish. place a layer of zucchini slices, slightly overlapping. Top with some bechamel sauce. Add a layer of lasagna sheets. Spread half of the ricotta mix on top. Add marinara sauce, then repeat, starting with the zucchini and ending with the marinara. If you want a little more pasta in there, just throw in an extra layer of lasagna sheets somewhere. On the very top, scatter the mozzarella evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes (or according to the instructions on your lasagna box - I used fresh pasta).

Serves 6.

The big girl sat and whispered that she didn't like this food during the entire meal. There was tomato sauce involved. The toddler made a huge mess with her milk, first trying to pour it out, then trying to splash around in it with a spoon, then spooning it into her food. Eventually she ate her food, milk and all. She seemed to like it, but was too busy being a stinker to eat.

Zucchini pancakes

The camera was focusing on the bacon, also what the big girl tends to do when it is served.

I had a bunch of zucchini left after my chicken salad 2 days ago, so I had to figure out a way to use it up.  I saw a recipe for zucchini pancakes, so decided to give it a go for lunch, since we are on vacation. I warily got out the food processor to shred my zucchini during the toddler's nap time, thanking myself for having the foresight to install a pocket door between the living room/kitchen area and the bedroom area when we built our house. Big girl was playing with a boy from the neighborhood, so they ran to his house to ask if he could stay for lunch and then came back to pester me by asking if it was done yet.

I get so much use out of my food processor, a Christmas present from my parents. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Stirring the zucchini into the batter

Adding the dry ingredients

Batter ready to go

Cooking the pancakes on medium heat until bubbles form in the center

Multitasking by frying bacon

Another minute on the other side

Proving that a little maple syrup will make big girl eat pancakes containing suspect vegetables

Zucchini Pancakes

Makes 10 to 12 pancakes

2 large eggs
3 T olive oil
2 T granulated sugar
2 T milk
2 T yogurt - plain works, but I used lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
2 cups shredded zucchini, heaping cups are fine
1 cup all-purpose flour
a dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp, cardamum
Butter or oil, for coating skillet

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, olive oil, sugar, milk, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in zucchini shreds. In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Stir dry ingredients into zucchini batter, mixing until just combined.

Preheat oven to 200°F/100C and place a cookie sheet in the center of the oven.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a bit of butter and swirl it around. Spoon a few small circles of batter in pan with space so they don't touch. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip them and cook another minute or two, until golden underneath. Transfer pancakes to oven to keep warm and cook through the rest of the way. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with a side of bacon and some maple syrup. Serves about 4.


The verdict: Big girl thought they were really, really good. Her friend was a good sport, trying the strange American syrup with strange American pancakes, and liked them a lot. Hubby doesn't do syrup but liked them anyway. I could have used another package of bacon. The toddler slept through lunch, but I kept a few  warm in the oven and she liked them too.