no fuss zucchini lasagna

Once school starts back up evenings around here get a little crazy. From homework to extra curricular activities to showers and bedtime reading I just don't have the time to spend hours in the kitchen preparing dinner. During the week I'm the queen of quick and easy, healthy and delicious meals.

This zucchini lasagna is truly a no fuss recipe. It's gluten free and can be prepared completely dairy free as well. And the bonus is it can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated until you're ready to bake, making it even easier to serve up a quick family dinner.

Ingredients:

- 1 large zucchini & 1 large yellow squash or 2 large zucchini
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- *optional shredded cheddar goat cheese for topping or cheese of choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish (I use coconut oil).

2. Slice zucchini either lenghtwise or vertically. I prefer to slice into medium thin rounds.

3. Prepare the meat sauce. Cook meat with salt and pepper over medium high heat until browned. Stir in tomato paste and spices, then add in coconut milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Layer zucchini/squash on bottom then add layer of meat sauce and repeat layering zucchini/squash with meat sauce until you're 1/3 from the top of the casserole dish. *Optional - Spread a layer of shredded cheese over the top. (I prefer a goat's milk cheddar because I don't tolerate cow's milk.) For a completely dairy free option leave off cheese topping.

5. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Raise temp to 350 and remove foil, and then bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

This is such a quick meal as the prep work only takes about 25 to 30 minutes, then while it's baking I can clean up the kitchen and make the kids' lunches for the next day. This is also a great dish to prepare on a Sunday and then refrigerate so that all you have to do on Monday evening is pop it in the oven! (*If you do it that way you may need to bake it about 5 to 10 minutes longer.)

This is definitely a family favorite! My kids love it especially when I serve it over steamed white rice. And I love that they're happily eating vegetables. ;)

Hope you enjoy!