Zucchini Lasagna- No Fuss Recipe

 Enter- Zucchini Lasagna! This no fuss recipe is simple easy, and combines whole ingredients for a healthy-ish dinner your family will love. Zucchini strips replace lasagna noodles for a low carb take on an old Italian classic.

Zucchini lasagna is the same as traditional lasagna- layers of zucchini ‘noodles’, meat sauce with marinara, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella. The only difference is this version is low carb because it has no pasta in it.It’s a win-win! I did not miss the noodles because the flavor is so good.

Let’s get started! First off- preheat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit.

Step 1: Cut ends off of zucchini after washing, and using a mandolin (preferably with safety glove or safety attachment!) slice lengthwise into slices. Using a mandolin ensures that all of the zucchini slices are the same size. We recommend using the mandolin on 3mm. Lay the zucchini on either a baking sheet or a cutting board, and sprinkle salt on both sides. This helps remove excess water (see picture below- you can see the water droplets forming!). Let salt sit on zucchini while we move to the next step.

If you don’t have a mandolin- fear not! You can use a potato peeler (though the slices won’t be as large and it will take longer) or you can just slice them by hand.

Step 2: Cook ground turkey in a skillet with 1 diced onion, and 2 tbsp olive oil.  Once meat is fully cooked, add 24 ounces of marinara sauce, making sure to reserve 1/2 cup for later on. Set aside and allow to cool. While allowing sauce to cool, use a paper towel to ‘dab’ excess water and salt off of both sides of zucchini slices.

Step 3: Mix 2 eggs with 15 ounces of ricotta cheese. Set aside. Adding these 2 eggs to the ricotta makes the ricotta stay fluffy when baking.

Step 4: Add reserved 1/2 cup of marinara to bottom of pan. Begin to assembly lasagna. We like to do this in the following steps (see picture below!). 

1. Zucchini noodles
2. Meat sauce
3. Ricotta Mixture
4. Shredded Mozzarella
5. Repeat for one more layer, and end with a final top layer of zucchini noodles and shredded mozzarella on top.

Step 5: Bake your noodle free zucchini lasagna at 375 degrees farenheit for 40-45 minutes. I like mine to be fairly well broiled on top so during the last 5 minutes I switch the oven to a high broil, and let it brown. If you do this, watch it closely- broilers can vary and I don’t want to be the bad guy that burnt your dinner! 🙂  

Now- let’s answer all of your zucchini lasagna questions!

• How else can I make sure the zucchini doesn’t get watery?
  • In addition to salting the zucchini and ‘dabbing’ it with a paper towel, you can then grill it or roast it in the oven with a little bit of olive oil. I prefer to do this in a grill pan as I like the grill marks it makes on the zucchini.
• What kind of pan did you use?
  • I use a 9×13 porcelain casserole dish. This one here, to be precise!
• What kind of mandolin do you use?
  • I use this one from Amazon. It comes with safety gloves. PLEASE use safety gloves or a guard if you are using a mandolin for ANYTHING. They are dangerous and can do serious damage to your fingers. 
• What kind of ground turkey did you use?
  • I use Jenny-o 93/7 ground turkey. Isernios is another great brand.
• What other meat can I use?
  • Sausage, ground chicken or ground beef would work great as well.
• What kind of marinara sauce did you use?
  • I use Newmans Own. Trader Joes is great as well. Rao’s from Costco has a recent cult following though I haven’t tried it yet (but want to!0. Any marinara sauce of your choice would work.
• How can I make this vegetarian?
  • Use equal amounts of diced vegetables instead of ground meat. I suggest dicing mushrooms, canned artichokes, eggplant (though make sure you salt it to remove bitterness), and spinach.
• What kind of ricotta did you use?
  • I use whole milk Galbani ricotta cheese. It is sold at most grocery stores.
• What kind of shredded mozzarella did you use?
  • I use Kraft shredded mozzarella. I do recommend buying fresh and grating it yourself if you have the time though- the flavor and texture is much better.
• What other vegetables can I add?
  • Cherry tomatoes, fresh roasted garlic, mushrooms, spinach, canned artichoke hearts, eggplant, even garbanzo beans would be delicious.

• What other recipes with Zucchini do you suggest?
  • Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp
  • Savory Zucchini Bread 
  • Rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread 
• What other low carb dinners do you recommend?
  • Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
  • Grilled Mahi with Avocado and Corn Salad
  • 30 Minute Lemon Shrimp and Asparagus Packets
  • Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
  • Chili Lime Chicken Burgers with Avocado Salsa
  • Classic Salisbury Steak

Here’s to delicious and healthy dinners! – Rachel 

Zucchini Lasagna

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

 

A delicious, low carb dinner that replaces regular noodles for zucchini noodles! Our recipe is no fuss, and only takes a few steps to make.

Course: american, Dinner, italian, low carb

Cuisine: American, dinner, Italian, low carb

Servings: 8 people

: 369 kcal

: Kathi & Rachel

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini sliced into strips with a mandolin or potato peeler
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 24 ounces marinara sauce reserve 1/2 cup for later
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 2 eggs
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 2 tbsp salt to remove exess moisture- more may be needed
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cut ends off of zucchini after washing, and using a mandolin (preferably with safety glove or safety attachment!) slice lengthwise into slices, about 3mm (or 1/8 of an inch) thick. Lay the zucchini on either a baking sheet or a cutting board, and sprinkle salt on both sides. Allow to sit while you complete the next 2 steps (at least 15-20 minutes)

3. Cook ground turkey in a skillet on medium high with diced onion, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Once meat is fully cooked, add 24 ounces of marinara sauce, making sure you reserve 1/2 cup for later on.

4. Mix eggs with ricotta cheese. Set aside

5. Use a paper towel to 'dab' excess water and salt off of both sides of zucchini slices.

6. Add reserved 1/2 cup of marinara to bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Begin to assemble lasagna, allowing enough to use 2 layers for each ingredient.

   Zucchini noodles

   Meat sauce

   Ricotta Mixture

   Shredded Mozzarella

   Repeat for one more layer, and end with a final top layer of zucchini noodles and shredded mozzarella on top.
   

7. Bake your noodle free zucchini lasagna at 375 degrees farenheit for 40-45 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

- I like mine to be fairly well broiled on top so during the last 5 minutes I switch the oven to a high broil, and let it brown. If you do this, watch it closely- broilers can vary and I don't want to be the bad guy that burnt your dinner! 🙂 

-Zucchini Lasagna will by nature (zucchini is 95% water) be a little more 'watery' than you are used to. Use a large spoon to drain some moisture and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving to help.

Nutrition Facts

Zucchini Lasagna

Amount Per Serving

Calories 369 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 11g55%

Cholesterol 91mg30%

Sodium 2540mg106%

Potassium 987mg28%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 32g64%

Vitamin A 1226IU25%

Vitamin C 36mg44%

Calcium 365mg37%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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