Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the zucchini slices on a paper towel in a single layer and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes and then dry well with paper towels, blotting off the moisture and the salt.
3. Make the sauce by adding a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet along with the ground beef. Cook and break up into crumbles until no pink remains. Drain the grease from the skillet. Now add the garlic, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, tomato paste and stir to combine.
4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir and simmer over low heat, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
5. While the sauce is simmering, add the ricotta cheese to a bowl along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper to taste, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and the egg. Mix to combine.
6. Add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, spreading out to cover the bottom of the dish. Place zucchini slices on top of the sauce, they can overlap a bit, and then spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top in an even layer.
7. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese on top of the ricotta mixture along with 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat with more sauce, another layer of zucchini slices and another layer of the ricotta cheese mixture. Add another 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese followed by the last layer of zucchini slices.
8. Top with the rest of the sauce, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on the parsley if using. Cover with non-stick aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.