Disclaimer: I have collaborated with Aldi for my segment. This recipe and all opinions are my own!
Last Friday, I made an appearance on the Fox17 Morning Mix here in Grand Rapids to make this tasty dish for #NationalLasagnaDay. This dish is SO simple and super delish…a great way to use up summer garden produce!
Most people with gardens have this beautiful bounty popping up right now. Tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, basil, etc. MY garden? So.Dead. Well not completely dead, but 90% brown. In my defense, there is a ton of clay in our soil which doesn’t allow plants to grow. I used SO much store bought soil this year and everything still wilted after I planted it.
Luckily, Aldi has us covered–they offer rock bottom prices on local produce! I can pick up Michigan grown items on my way home from the gym for dinner. You can save up to 50% by shopping there. Not only do they have great produce deals, they have SO many different options for shoppers. I personally love the Fit & Active line, products with lower sodium, calories and fat. There’s also SimplyNature (organic) and liveGfree, the newer gluten free line.
The Never Any! line is newer to my store–this chicken sausage called my name. This line of fresh meat never contains antibiotics, added hormones or animal by-products. Perfect!
When Fox17 reached out for a #NationalLasagnaDay recipe, I wanted to try something new! Since it’s summer, I thought a lightened up lasagna would be perfect. Zucchini boats are popping up everywhere right now, why not stuff them with lasagna?!
To make scooping easier, I use a melon baller. The same technique can be used with a teaspoon or just a plain old spoon. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy! Just don’t rush at first. If zucchini isn’t your thing, try pepper halves!
Step One: Steam a bag of spinach. At Aldi, I always grab 2-3 bags of the Little Salad Bar spinach for smoothies and to steam. Shown above is one WHOLE bag steamed…it really shrinks up! You can also use the steamed spinach in eggs or other sauces, just store in the fridge!
Step Two: Chop and brown Never Any! Tomato Basic Chicken Sausage. I add a little EVOO to a pan over medium heat. Just be sure to use bite sized pieces.
Step Three: In a bowl, mash Fit & Active light cream cheese (Neufchatel), ricotta, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. This will be the creamy base for the lasagna boats!
Step Four: Add veggies! Red pepper adds a crunch and the steamed spinach will add a boost of nutrients. Plus, one egg. Mash it all together.
Now it’s time to stuff the boats! Feel free to watch the video for more step-by-step info!
- 1 package (4 links) Kirkwood Never Any! Tomato Basil Chicken Sausage
- 1 package Little Salad Bar fresh spinach
- 5 medium (or 4 large) zucchini
- 1 (15 oz) container part skim ricotta cheese
- 2 ounces Fit & Active light cream cheese
- 1/4 cup Priano Parmesan Cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper , chopped
- 1/2 cup Simply Nature marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup Fit & Active mozzarella cheese (divided)
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Preheat oven to 400º.
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Heat water to boil in a small saucepan. Add entire bag of spinach into water. Allow to cook for 3 minutes.
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Drain and then place in a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out all water. Allow to cool.
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Cut zucchini in half. Using a melon baller, scoop out the seeded area of the vegetable, leaving enough space to fill with ingredients.
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In a bowl, mash cream cheese, ricotta, Parmesan and Italian seasoning with a fork, until combined.
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Add red peppers, 1/2 cup steamed spinach (chopped) and egg. Mix.
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Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Then sprinkle enough marinara to cover the bottom of the pan.
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Add zucchini boats. Season with pepper.
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Fill with cooked chicken sausage. The amount varies by the size of the zucchini, but about 2 tablespoons or so. just enough to cover the bottom.
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Top with ricotta cheese mixture. Now sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
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Spoon on a drizzle of marinara sauce, then add more mozzarella cheese.
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Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Have a mountain of zucchini to use up? Freeze them after cooking! You’ll be so happy this fall to have a quick dinner waiting in the freezer. 🙂
What’s your favorite item from Aldi?
These sound AWESOME! Totally trying!
Lauren Weber recently posted…Family Fun in Southeast Michigan August 2016
Thanks lady! Let me know what you think!
Your first photo just made me salivate! I love lasagna, and I always look for new ways to prepare it. Yours is something unique. The steamed spinach is such a great idea to make lasagna healthier.
Haha, thank you! I’m glad I made you drool! 🙂
Zucchini boats are a fabulous idea. I really love Zucchini and pasta sauce always tastes really good with that veggie, so I can only imagine that this would taste like heaven. I will make it for dinner soon.
Emma Spellman recently posted…Nutrisystem Week 5! Can you tell the difference? #NSNation #ad
I love shopping at Alid because of the money it saves me. This zucchini lasanga boat recipe looks delicious and is a great way to make one of our favorite dishes healthier. Plus now is a great time to get zucchini for a good price.
Our garden is usually overflowing with zucchini and we’re never really sure how to use it all up before it goes bad. I will be keeping this recipe in mind — it looks amazing!! I also love the addition of spinach.
So jealous, I wish my garden would grow! If you have a ton, you could freeze a batch or two!
I have always wanted to try lasagna this way. You make it look so easy so now I am adding it to my meal plan for next weekend! Challenge Excepted! 😉
Yay! It’s SUPER simple! Let me know what you think!
I have not heard of chicken sausage — only turkey sausage. We don’t eat enough zucchini in our house, so I can’t wait to try this recipe out on my family. I’m almost certain they’ll enjoy it.
Those look so good! I’ll have to try them soon. I’ve never thought to use zucchini in this way before, love the new ideas. Plus, my family loves lasagna so it works out!
Another recipe that I’ve been meaning to make! My kids will not touch vegetables at the moment, BUT if I add sauce or cheese to them, they will devour them! This is a must-try since I have a ton of zucchini in our garden.
#1. Your recipe looks delish!
#2. I can not tell you how much we freaking LOVE Aldi. It is honestly our favorite place to shop. Not only are the prices ridiculously low, but they always rotate in these awesome ethnic foods…..We just love it so much!
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I just made these and they were so good! I used the meat I had on hand at home-ground venison- and they were still great. Thank you for a good, healthy recipe to use up extra zucchini 🙂 p.s. We LOVE Aldi!
I’m SO happy you enjoyed them! I bet the venison was amazing in these!