Guilt-Free Lasagna

Zucchini glut can be a good thing. A large but firm zucchini sat on the counter for a day and a half, daring me to do something with it. An online search for yet another zucchini recipe pointed me in the right direction. I have since tweaked and twisted the recipe another 45 degrees. This is what I did: I sliced the zucchini lengthwise with a sharp knife into thin slabs about 1/4" thick. A mandoline also works for this task; I avoid them whenever possible, having sacrificed one too many bits of flesh. I cooked up a bechamel in a saucepan with about 1/2 cup of dry milk, 3 T. of cornstarch, a 1/2 tsp. each of garlic and onion powder, plus freshly grated nutmeg. Mixing the dry ingredients, I added 1/3 cup of evaporated milk, 1/4 cup dry white wine and 3/4 cup of water, cooking while stirring constantly over medium heat. Once it had thickened, I pulled the pan off the burner and grated in a little parmesan. In a skillet on medium high with 1 T. olive oil, I quickly sauteed the white part of two scallions, chopped, adding three chopped baby sweet orange, red and yellow peppers, (one-half a large sweet red or yellow pepper would also work). I used a small can of mushroom pieces, drained and added as the other vegetables cooked, but 3-4 fresh mushrooms would do the trick if most of the moisture is cooked out. As I pulled the skillet off the burner, I added three large chiffonaded basil leaves, plus the chopped leaves from two sprigs each of fresh marjoram/oregano and lemon thyme. Emptying the contents into a bowl, I added another bit of olive oil to the skillet and quickly broke up about 1/2 pound of uncooked turkey Italian sausage, breaking it up and sizzling it just long enough to get rid of most of the pink. I augmented its flavors with 1 tsp. of fennel seed crushed between my fingers, one minced garlic clove, some red pepper flakes, and another little splash of dry white wine. Starting with a thin layer from a jar of prepared pasta sauce in a large non-reactive covered rectangular/oblong casserole dish, I put down a layer of zucchini slices, with a thin layer of bechamel spread over the squash. That was followed by grated mozzarella (about three cups in the whole batch) and a sprinkle of grated parmesan (about 3/4 of a cup total). Then I added a layer of the pepper/mushroom mixture, some of the turkey Italian sausage, and another layer of tomato sauce, with the green scallion tops, some chives and a large basil leaf scissored over it. The successive layers of squash slices, pasta sauce, cooked vegetables, sausage and cheeses ended with tomato sauce, dotted with the remainder of the bechamel and some mozzarella and parmesan sprinkled on the top to brown. I baked it in a slowish 325 oven for an hour and 10 minutes, then let it rest a half hour before serving. It was perfectly delicious; the noodles were not missed and it was not mushy. The recipe I downloaded baked the zucchini slices 10-15 minutes. That recipe also lacked Italian sausage, but added thawed frozen artichoke hearts, patted dry and chopped, as well as capers. Rather than a bechamel, the downloaded recipe used cottage cheese, though ricotta seasoned with some nutmeg and garlic would also work. I used what I had on hand. The result is a delicious addition to my zucchini repertoire. While it is a work in progress, the recipe has already been handed on to my gluten-free brother in Louisiana.