Cooking with Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today Show!

AmberEvents & Announcements11 Comments

I was honored to be invited to the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda for an “Inspirational Kids” episode! It was a blast. The other kids are all so amazing! Kathie Lee and Hoda were both awesome and I had a great time.

Watch how people cheered and kept eating and having fun after the show was over! It was like a party!

Thank you, Kathie Lee, Hoda, Kate, Sarah, and everyone from the Today Show!

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Kathie Lee did a happy dance after eating the lasagna.

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After the show, everyone kept eating and having fun. It was awesome!

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We had a little teaser before the break.

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Kate is the producer that helped us the whole time. She is super duper nice! I felt like I had already known her a long time.

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We made friends with the other kids and got our hair done before the show!

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When we got to the kitchen, things were already set up.

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Look how beautifully they plated the lasagna!

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Putting my chef’s coat on!

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This is Bianca, the food stylist. She is very nice and obviously an amazing cook!

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Look at the beautiful lasagna!

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I hadn’t used this type of mandolin before so I practiced before the segment.

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I watched Samuel’s

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4.34 from 3 votes
Print

Award-Winning No-Noodle Lasagna

Former First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge in 2013, calling out to kids and parents across the country to submit an original healthy recipe that would inspire families to cook together and eat wholesome meals. I submitted this recipe and won for the state of Washington! I had the honor of dining next to the First Lady and meeting President Obama, and I also chatted with many amazing kids and parents who think that fresh, delicious food is the best kind of food. This lasagna ditches pasta and uses zucchini as the noodles, and trust me, it tastes so good. My family eats the whole pan every time! If the White House kitchen staff and First Lady Michelle Obama approve of this lasagna, I think you will, too.
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Author Amber Kelley

Ingredients

  • 3 medium-size zucchini
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup/160 g chopped yellow onion about 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled and pressed
  • 1 pound/455 g Italian turkey sausage casings removed
  • 1 28-ounce/800 g can crushed tomatoes in tomato purée
  • 1 6-ounce/170 g can tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces/225 g mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 ounces/55 g Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200°C.
  2. Slice the zucchini lengthwise with a mandoline so that they are paper-thin strips. Set out the strips on paper towels to dry out while you make the sauce.
  3. Heat the oil in a large (10- to 12-inch/25.5 to 30.5 cm) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  4. Add the sausage and cook over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it’s no longer pink and crumbly.
  5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on taste and the saltiness of your sausage), and the pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
  6. To assemble the lasagna, ladle about 3/4 cup/175 ml of the sauce into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch/33 x 23 x 5 cm rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Layer the zucchini, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle with a small handful of mozzarella, a bit of Parmesan, and then another ladle full of sauce. Repeat until you are out of ingredients, finishing with sauce, topped with Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. Broil for a minute or two at the end to get a nice crust. Let it cool slightly so that it can set before serving.

11 Comments on “Cooking with Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today Show!”

  1. What Avon product wass on your show Thursday, Aug. 8th? It was for wrinkles and my sister needs it and me too.
    Thank you, Lana

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