Jump to Recipe
Zucchini lasagnais a low-carb, garden-fresh spin on traditional lasagna. With tender zucchini slices, creamy layers of cheese, and a savory meat sauce, it’s a dish the entire family will love.
Table of Contents
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.See my full affiliate link disclosure here.
During the summer months when the garden is overflowing with zucchini, our menu reflects that. I love adding these fresh veggies into our diets and using up the bounty we’ve grown.
Some of our favorite ways to use zucchini are inzucchini frittatasfor breakfast orsausage zucchini boatsfor dinner. They’re nutritious, bursting with flavor, and also great options for those who are gluten-free.
We also lovesourdough chocolate zucchini muffinsandzucchini bread. These are great for breakfast, with coffee, or as a dessert.
Anotherfamily favoriteis this zucchini lasagna. It’swholesomeandfilling, topped with bubbly, melted cheese. The texture and flavors leave you wondering why you ever needed traditional noodles.
Unless, of course, you wanted to make your ownhomemade sourdough pasta, then that’s a great option, too.
Serve this dish with a side ofsourdough garlic breadorsourdough cheddar biscuitsfor a well-rounded family dinner that even the kids will love.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Great flavors:With fresh zucchini flavor, well-seasoned beef, and rich layers of cottage cheese (try making your own homemade cottage cheese), parmesan, and mozzarella, I find we don’t even miss the regular lasagna noodles.
Hearty and filling:With two pounds of beef, two layers of cottage cheese, and two whole zucchinis sliced into this recipe, you’ll have a high-protein meal packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Zucchini season:When zucchini season hits, it’s easy to get behind in using this plentiful vegetable. Having the option of classic dishes turned zucchini-friendly, I find that we can enjoy our harvests more without the stress of food waste.
Ingredients
Ground beef:Try to use grass-fed beef when possible, as it is a far healthier option.
Zucchini:Two medium-sized zucchini, cut longways in 1/4″ thick slices.
Mozzarella cheese:Mozzarella is a great cheese for melting on top of dishes. Have you tried making homemade mozzarella cheeseyet?
Cottage cheese:Cottage cheese gives such a rich, creamy, and pleasant consistency to lasagna.
Pasta sauce:This can be your favorite jar of sauce from the store, or you can make your own.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Avoiding Watery Zucchini Lasagna
Zucchini is right around 94% water content, which if not handled correctly, can leave you with a very soupy lasagna. To avoid this, you should take time to prepare your zucchini before assembling the dish.
My favorite method is to slice the zucchini very thinly, lightly salt it, and let the slices sit for about 15 minutes on either paper towels or in a colander.
The salt helps to pull out the excess moisture in the vegetable, which can then drain through a colander or be absorbed with paper towels. Pat them dry before using them in the dish.
Tools You May Need
Mandolin, vegetable peeler, or a sharp knife
How to Make Zucchini Lasagna
Step 1:Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the zucchini very thinly, lightly salt it, and let the slices sit for about 15 minutes on either paper towels or in a colander.
Step 2:In a large cast iron skillet, brown the ground beef. I like to season mine with 1/2 teaspoon of salt while cooking.
Step 3:In another skillet, add butter, diced onion, and sliced mushrooms, sautéing until soft.
Step 4:Shred the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
Step 5:Grate the parmesan cheese. Combine grated parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and remaining salt.
Step 6:Combine cooked onions and mushrooms, browned ground beef, and pasta sauce.
Step 7:Assemble the lasagna in a 9×13 baking dish with a layer of meat sauce, sliced zucchini, more meat sauce, half of the cheese mixture, and half the shredded cheese. Repeat these layers.
Step 8:Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cooked through. Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves, then serve.
Tips
- Prepare your zucchini noodles before assembling the lasagna.
- For a bit of a twist, you can make your owncreamy pumpkin pasta saucefor a fall-inspired version.
- Substitute the cottage cheese forhomemade ricottaif you’d like.
- Add chopped, fresh herbs to your cottage cheese mixture for even more flavor!
- You can use ground chicken or ground turkey with great results, if you’d like.
- If your favorite pasta sauce is watery, add a little less to the meat mixture or cook it longer in the skillet to reduce. A thin, runny sauce can make a mess of this dish.
Recipe FAQs
Should I bake zucchini lasagna covered or uncovered?
I recommend baking uncovered when working with zucchini noodles. Covering the dish with aluminum foil will trap moisture, and zucchini is already notoriously watery.
Should the last layer of zucchini lasagna be “noodles” or sauce?
I arrange my lasagna so that the final layer is noodles and cheese.
Why is my zucchini mushy?
An overly soft, mushy zucchini is often the result of overbaking. This recipe has a shorter bake time, allowing for the lasagna to heat through without breaking down the zucchini. The zucchini noodles should be tender, but not disintegrating.
Should lasagna sauce be thick or thin/runny?
For best results, aim for a thick sauce that won’t spill and seep throughout your dish.
Should I peel the zucchini?
No, you should keep the zucchini skin on. It is highly nutritious and has a pleasant texture when cooked.
More Veggie-Friendly Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Vegetable Hash in Cast Iron
- Spinach Pie Recipe
- Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Beef
- Pumpkin Frittata with Bacon and Feta
- Tomato Soup from Fresh Tomatoes
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars!Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Zucchini Lasagna
This delicious recipe is a great way to use up all those summer zucchini. It’s also grain free, and a great way to sneak in a few extra vegetables.
4.50 from 30 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bass
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini cut in long 1/4″ slices
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 24 ounces pasta sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the zucchini very thinly, lightly salt it, and let the slices sit for about 15 minutes on either paper towels or in a colander.
In a large cast iron skillet, brown the ground beef. I like to season mine with 1/2 teaspoon of salt while cooking.
In another skillet, add butter, diced onion, and sliced mushrooms, sautéing until soft.
Shred the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
Grate the parmesan cheese. Combine grated parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and remaining salt.
Combine cooked onions and mushrooms, browned ground beef, and pasta sauce.
Assemble the lasagna in a 9×13 baking dish with a layer of meat sauce, sliced zucchini, more meat sauce, half of the cheese mixture, and half the shredded cheese. Repeat these layers.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cooked through. Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves, then serve.
Video
Notes
- I don’t recommend substituting summer squash as they tend to have more and larger seeds than zucchini.
Nutrition
Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 1379mg | Potassium: 926mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1027IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 465mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FarmhouseOnBoone or tag #farmhouseonboone!
