Zucchini alla parmigiana (low carb GF)

Zucchini alla Parmigiana - fall harvest 

16 oz  Zucchini (1/4” thick slices/ salted for 1 1/2 hours then rises and dried paper towel) 

4-5 cups marinara sauce (*see below)

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese 

1 egg 

Small bunch Fresh basil

1 clove Garlic 

10 passes on the microplane nutmeg nut (to taste) 

Pinch kosher salt 

grated fresh pecorino to taste

make 

Begin with slicing and salting the zucchini's in a colander and let the moisture come out. 

Leave the salt on for around 35 -60 minutes - i let mine stand 1:30 minutes. 

Rinse and dry the zucchini strips and leave them separated to keep dry until assembly 

In a food processor, place the cottage cheese, egg, garlic, basil, nutmeg and salt and blend until smooth (little bits of basil are a ok) - set aside for assembly. 

In a baking pan of choice - i used 9x12, parchment paper the pan and start the first layer with marinara sauce. 
Then continue with zucchini slices, the cottage cheese whip, microplane pecorino, repeat marinara, zucchini slices, white whip, microplane pecorino, repeat marinara, zucchini slices, and on and on till you reach the top. I made it to 5 layers. 

Bake 425ºF 50-60 minutes 

(depending on pan size and height of layers add or subtract.) 

The dish should not be wet at all but firm - no watery  loosely wet. 

Wait until the sauce on top looks like tomato paste and the dish is firm-ish to the touch. 

Let the dish cool for 10-20 minutes to firm up. Cut into too soon the layers will come apart. 

dinner tonight: 

zucchini alla parmigiana, lucca meatballs turkey, italian cove: lacinato kale, shaved onions, nutritional yeast, water to help steam and a cover for the pan

marinara sauce - large amount quick cook

#10 can crushed tomatoes (6lb+)

1 medium sweet onion small dice

1 head garlic chopped 

small bundle fresh oregano

12-20 basil leaves (half at the beginning and half at the end)

1 tsp salt (taste at the end and adjust salt then if needed) 

1 tps sugar (used monkfruit) 

wine (what you have on hand - i used a pinot grigio) 

water to taste 

make

I used the pressure cooker/slower cooker and started by sauteing onions & garlic. 

Once the onions and garlic were getting color add in wine to deglaze. 

Add some water to make a bit of broth then add in the crushed tomatoes and some more water to thin out - the sauce will cook down and you'll need this water to help create the sauce. 

 I then added the pressure cooker top and pressure cooked for "6 minutes".

Once I releases the pressure I put on the slow cooker top and let it simmer while I prepped the above zucchini recipe. 

I think slow cooked the sauce for 1Hr to 1:30hr. but you can simmer for extra time and it will still tasted great if not better. 

At the end of slow cooking i tasted for salt and added 1/2 tsp of salt and the remaining chopped basil.