Curry Zucchini Lasagna
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 714kcal
This creamy curry zucchini lasagna blends Asian-inspired curry flavors with classic cheesy layers. Perfect for summer zucchini or your frozen stash. Includes tips, variations, and make-ahead options.
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Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 kg zucchini about 5 medium-size lasagna
- 3 Tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 580 g lasagna noodles 1 lb box of dried lasagna noodles + 5 sheets. Do not use no-boil lasagna
Curry roux sauce:
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 65 g all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp Madras curry-powder or any of your favorite curry powder, the amount also depends on the brand
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 830 g milk whole milk or low fat milk
- 125 g whole milk ricotta don't use low-fat
- 250 g shredded chicken meat I used leftover rotisserie chicken breast meat
- 200 g shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prepare and cook the zucchini:
- Wash the zucchini and pat them dry. Trim off the stalk, halved, and thinly slice the zucchini. It's a lot of zucchini I know!!
- If you use frozen zucchini, make sure to thaw and squeeze out excess liquid before using
- Add 3 Tbsp of oil in a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute. Add the zucchini and 3/4 tsp salt and cook until it breaks down, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 20 minutes more until they are very soft and break down into like jammy consistency. You want to cook until the liquid dries up. When you check the bottom of the pot, there shouldn't be much liquid left. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt as needed. Set aside.
Soak the lasagna noodles:
- Place the lasagna noodle sheets in a long pan and pour water to soak them while you prepare the sauce
Prepare the curry roux sauce:
- Quickly rinse the pot you use to cook the zucchini and wipe it dry. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat. Put the butter in the pot to let it melt.
- When all the butter has melted, add all the all-purpose flour at one go and whisk until they are combined and lightly brown in color
- Add the curry powder, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and whisk for about 30 seconds.
- Gradually pour in the milk as you whisk.
- Let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thickens.
- Stir in the ricotta cheese until smooth again
Assembling:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and position the oven rack in the middle. Please lower the temperature by 20 F (15 C) if using convection oven
- Get a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. I use a glass baking dish. You can use ceramic too. Spread about 1/2 cup of the curry sauce at the bottom of the dish. It's just going to be a very thin layer.
- Arrange the soaked lasagna noodle sheets on top horizontally and overlapping slightly. You may need to lay one sheet vertically to cover the end
- Cover with about 1 cup of the sauce, scatter 1/4 portion of the zucchini (discard any excess liquid), 1/4 portion of the shredded chicken meat, and 1/4 cup of the shredded parmesan cheese
- Then repeat this layering process 3 more times. When you get to the final layer of noodle sheets, cover with the rest of the sauce, which is about 1/2 cup and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of shredded or finely grated parmesan cheese
Baking:
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place the baking dish on a tray, just in case the lasagna is bubbling over, it can catch the mess. Mine didn't bubble over
- Place in the positioned oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until you start seeing some edges are bubbling
Rest before serving:
- It is important that you rest the lasagna before serving. DO NOT serve immediately. It's going to be watery if you do so
- Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes. The resting time allows the noodles to absorb extra juices and when you serve it, it's just the right texture
Leftovers:
- The leftover lasagna tastes even better the next day when the flavor has fully melded. Simply let the lasagna cool down completely. Cover tightly with a plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 714kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 917mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1173IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 431mg | Iron: 3mg
