Zucchini Lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; grease a deep 9×13 inch baking pan.

Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Rinse salt off of zucchini under running water, then dry slices in a kitchen towel.

Meanwhile, prepare the meat sauce. Sauté onion and green pepper over medium heat until starting to soften, then stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add ground beef; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink; drain grease (if needed). Stir in tomato paste and allow color to darken, then stir in pasta sauce and basil. Allow to simmer 5-10 minutes for flavors to come together.

Next, stir egg, cottage cheese, ½ of the parmesan, 1/2 of the mozzerella, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/3 of the noodles, ½ of the zucchini slices, then ½ of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with 1/3 meat sauce, noodles, zucchini slices, and ricotta mixture. Top with remaining noodles, remaining meat sauce, and remaining mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top, cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. (Can bake longer if it seems watery.) Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.