No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

Not my picture... I took it from the recipe on
allrecipes.com because I forgot to take one. 

This recipe was super delish but a little labor intensive.  Luckily it was Sunday when I was making it and my trusty yet elusive sous-chef Taylor was able to help out a lot so it went much faster then if I was making it alone.  Would be really good for a make ahead meal or a freezer meal. Originally from here.

2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato paste
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 egg
1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta
cheese (I used cottage cheese)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.
3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.
5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.