Mexican Zucchini Lasagna

I love following What's Cooking from my blogger friend Ben. Not only is he a fellow mango lover, but he's always using familiar ingredients in unfamiliar ways. I saw his recipe for Mexican Zucchini Lasagna and had to try it. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed!

Zucchini and Chicken Mexican Lasagna
Makes: 4-6 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes

For this recipe you will need:

For the “lasagna”:

2 large zucchinis
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1/2 lb ricotta cheese2 eggs
1/2 cup Romano cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

For the green creamy sauce:

2 poblano peppers
1/2 onion2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
salt to taste

Preparation:

Roast poblano peppers (click here to watch a video) and put them in a thick plastic bag for 10 minutes. Peel them, cut the ends and discard seeds and ribs. Rinse well.

In a blender mix poblano peppers, onion, garlic and chicken broth until smooth. Pour sauce into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add cream, sour cream, salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin ribbons. Kat recommends using a peeler, a mandolin or a Y peeler. In a bowl mix together ricotta, Romano and mozzarella cheeses along with the 2 eggs, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.

Spoon some of the green sauce into a baking dish. Lay 1/3 of the zucchini slices, 1/2 of the cheese filling, 1 cup of the shredded chicken and some more of the sauce.

Repeat with another 1/3 of zucchini, the rest of the cheese and chicken. Finish with the last 1/3 of the zucchini and pour the remaining sauce into the dish. Bake for 40 minutes until the zucchini is cooked and the sauce is boiling.

This was an exciting change to typical lasagna, and even the boys liked it, which goes to show you don't need pasta to be happy! Though I couldn't serve the meal totally devoid of carbs, so I made my Honey Cilantro Lime Rice to accompany this dish.

Honey Cilantro Lime Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 cup chicken broth
1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare rice as instructed, substituting broth for water. In the meantime, combine lime zest and juice and honey in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. stir to combine. When rice is done, stir in honey mixture, cilantro and salt and pepper.

Not your average lasagna!