Awash in Squash

A colleague at work brought in pictures of his adorable kids and their beautiful organic squash straight from the garden on Friday. Here in Texas, you can usually plant as early as February or March, if you start from seed (ambitious project for younger gardeners than myself) and they are already "awash in squash." This recipe is a variation of my mom's lasagna and dedicated to Ron, Lisa, Lindsey and Parker...

2-3 large zucchini
1 large egg, beaten
1 large(15 ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Approximately 32 oz. favorite spaghetti sauce, with meat or meatless to your preference
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (optional)

Wash and pat dry zucchini and cut lengthwise in long thin slices using mandolin, sharp knipe or vegetable peeler/box grater with thick slice setting. You want these no more than 1/4" thick. Sprinkle slices with salt and allow the salt to sit for a while releasing some of the moisture from the zucchini. Mix cottage cheese, beaten egg, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, set aside. Setup spaghetti sauce in a bowl with large spoon, add basil and arrange with other ingredients in production line fashion.

In glass or ceramic casserole begin layering with just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan, then zucchini, followed by cottage cheese mixture and then mozzarella. Repeat one or two times, ending with a generous layer of sauce. Bake 45 minutes in 350 degree oven. Allow to sit at least 15 minutes before cutting but this recipe is typically a bit soupy because of the cottage cheese and moisture of the squash.

In college, I often used one box of thawed and drained spinach and mixed with cottage cheese mixture for a meatless lasagna that was also a big hit.