Looking for a healthier alternative to traditional lasagna? Try this easy and delicious low carb zucchini lasagna recipe!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy recipe: This lasagna is a healthier version of your favorite pasta dish with less calories and carbohydrates. The zucchini replaces the lasagna noodles for a low-carb (and gluten-free) meal.
- Easy to make: Just sauté the beef, make the sauce, add your layers and bake!
- Not watery: Try some of my helpful tips to make sure your zucchini lasagna doesn't turn out watery.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef – you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken or Italian sausage removed from its casings.
- Yellow onion – white onions or shallots can be used instead.
- Carrot – substitute for more celery to give your sauce a nice crunch or leave this out altogether.
- Celery – add more carrot or leave this out altogether.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic has the best flavor, but jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Pasta sauce – use any jarred tomato sauce of your choice like marinara sauce.
- Zucchini – you could also try making this lasagna with thinly sliced eggplant.
- Ricotta cheese – you can try using cottage cheese instead, but it'll have a different taste. Alternatively, just add in more shredded mozzarella.
- Egg – leave this out if you're allergic to egg.
- Mozzarella cheese – I'd highly recommend grating a fresh ball of mozzarella for the best melt and flavor.
- Fresh basil – you could also sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese over top.
How to make zucchini lasagna
Step 1: Sauté the beef and veggies.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the ground meat, then add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until tender.
Step 2: Make the sauce.
Add the jars of pasta sauce, cook, then remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3: Make the ricotta mixture.
Mix the ricotta and egg together in a bowl and slice up your zucchini.
Step 4: Layer your lasagna.
Add a bit of meat sauce to the bottom of a baking dish, followed by the zucchini noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and more meat sauce.
Step 5: Repeat the layers.
Finish with the zucchini noodles on top and reserve some of the mozzarella. Pour the remaining 1/4 jar of pasta sauce over top.
Step 6: Bake and then serve.
Bake in the oven, top with a bit more mozzarella, then bake until the cheese has melted. Garnish with fresh basil, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips!
Here are some of my top tips to making this delicious zucchini lasagna:
- Make it less watery: There are a few tricks to ensuring it doesn't turn out watery. Make sure you cut the zucchini slices as thin as possible, and cook the lasagna uncovered. You could also salt the zucchini then pat it dry with paper towels, or grill or broil the zucchini noodles for 1-2 mins before layering into your lasagna.
- Swap out the ground beef: You can make the lasagna with ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or even Italian sausage removed from its casings.
- Add more vegetables: Mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach and eggplant would all be delicious additions. Just make sure you sauté them first to reduce the moisture.
- Serve with delicious sides: You can't go wrong with some garlic bread or homemade focaccia! It'd also be yummy with a classic Caesar salad or arugula salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make this lasagna ahead of time?
If you want to ingredient prep this lasagna ahead of time, you can slice the zucchini and make the sauce a couple days in advance. You can also try assembling the lasagna the day before you cook it, but if you plan on doing that, I'd highly recommend grilling or salting the zucchini noodles first so the lasagna doesn't get too watery. Assemble the lasagna, cover the dish in foil or plastic wrap, then store it in the fridge overnight before cooking as normal.
Can you make it vegetarian?
If you need this dish to be vegetarian or vegan friendly, leave out the ground turkey or ground beef, or use a meatless substitute of your choice.
How do you slice the zucchini?
You can use a sharp knife to slice the zucchini strips or a mandoline. I find it makes getting those perfect thin slices so much easier!
What sauce should you use?
You can use your favorite jarred pasta sauce for this recipe, as long as it's tomato based (like marinara). Some store-bought sauces can be high in sodium or saturated fat, so make sure you check the label's nutrition facts if you're trying to stick to a specific diet. You could also make your own pasta sauce using extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, salt, black pepper, oregano and fresh herbs.
Storing and reheating
You can store individual slices of this zucchini lasagna in airtight glass containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you're ready to enjoy, reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Freezing this recipe
I wouldn't recommend freezing this lasagna, as it'll get soggy in the freezer from the zucchini. You can try making the sauce ahead of time and freezing it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then use it to make fresh lasagna.
More easy lasagna recipes
Meal prep tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up your weekly lunches.
- Use a mandoline to help slice your zucchini thinly.
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced, optional
- 2 celery stalks finely diced, optional
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (22oz) jar pasta sauce
- 4 zucchini sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick strips
- 15 oz ricotta
- 1 egg
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese grated
- 1 bunch fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. If using ground turkey instead of beef, add a drizzle of olive oil first. If using beef, add right to the pan (the fat from the beef as it cooks will be enough that you shouldn't need oil).
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned, then add onion, carrots and celery if using, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 7-8 minutes until tender, then add 3/4 of the jar of the pasta sauce, cooking another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 F, then add ricotta and egg to a bowl and mix well to combine. Slice zucchini lengthwise into about 1/4-inch thick strips.
- To a 9×13 baking dish, add a bit of the meat sauce to the bottom. Layer in zucchini noodles, then spread ricotta overtop, followed by mozzarella cheese and more meat sauce. Repeat one more time, finishing with zucchini noodles on top and reserving a bit of mozzarella for topping.
- Pour the remaining 1/4 jar of pasta sauce overtop, then bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, top with a bit more mozzarella cheese, then bake 5 more minutes. Serve with fresh basil overtop. Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Katie Didow says
So yummy!