The Best Zucchini Lasagna Recipe – No Noodles!

This zucchini lasagna requires just 10 ingredients and can be prepped in about 15 minutes! Whether you’re looking for a low-carb dinner option or just want to add more veggies to your diet, this zucchini lasagna gives you all the classic flavors – without the pasta! Slices of grilled zucchini are layered with herby, garlic ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, along with plenty of red sauce, so you get delicious lasagna flavor in every bite.

 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Zucchini – Slice your zucchini thinly for the best results. You don’t necessarily need a mandolin to do this. Just make sure all the slices are about the same width so they cook evenly. If you want to cut down on prep time, you could use zucchini noodles in place of the sliced zucchini. Treat them the same – grilling them and then letting them rest on a paper towel to remove excess liquid.
• Pasta Sauce – You can use any store-bought or homemade pasta sauce. Our family’s favorite is Prego.
• Cottage Cheese – For the best flavor and texture, I use 4% milkfat or whole milk cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. 2% or part-skim has less flavor and more water content which is not ideal for this dish. Feel free to blitz the cottage cheese in a food processor to give it a smoother texture, more like ricotta.
• Parmesan Cheese – Grab a wedge and shred it yourself to ensure the Parmesan melts nicely.
• Whole Milk Mozzarella – Whole milk mozzarella will give you the best flavor. Again, I like to shred it myself at home so that it melts well.
• Egg – The egg helps hold everything together. It binds with the ricotta or cottage cheese so that the cheese does not ooze out when you cut into the lasagna.
• Garlic Powder – I like using garlic powder to save on prep time. You can also sub with 4-6 cloves of minced garlic instead. Dried oregano or Italian seasoning can be added to taste to the cottage cheese mixture as well for a bit of extra flavor.

Instructions

Slice each zucchini into about 6 strips.

Heat a large cast iron griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drizzle the griddle with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, sprinkle the zucchini with salt, and cook for a minute or so per side or until dark golden brown grill marks form.

In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic powder, and a few large pinches of salt and pepper.

Spread a heaping 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer 7-8 slices of zucchini over the sauce.

Add 1/2 of the cottage cheese or ricotta mixture. Then drizzle with another heaping 1/2 cup of sauce.

Add another layer of zucchini strips.

Spread the remaining cottage cheese mixture on top. Drizzle with another heaping 1/2 cup of sauce.

Layer remaining zucchini. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovered. Let rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the liquid to be reabsorbed. Garnish with Parmesan, fresh basil, and chopped parsley, and enjoy!

Why You’re Going to Love this Zucchini Lasagna

• It’s got everything you love about lasagna, just without the noodles! Whether you’re trying to avoid pasta, eating low carb, cooking for a gluten-free family, or just want to change things up a bit, this zucchini lasagna recipe is perfect! With slices of grilled zucchini, plenty of cheese, and classic red sauce, your family won’t even miss the noodles!
• If you loved this easy lasagna recipe, be sure to check out my Easy Vegetarian One Pot Lasagna Soup, Mediterranean Lasagna, and my Cheesy One Pan Skillet Lasagna.

Tips

• If you have a mandolin, use that to slice your zucchini into strips. Otherwise, just use a sharp knife to slice the zucchini thinly into strips that are about 1/8″-1/4″ thick. Just make sure the zucchini is sliced uniformly so it cooks evenly.
• If you don’t have a grill pan, you can line a baking sheet with broiler-safe parchment paper or tin foil and broil the zucchini slices for a couple minutes on each side until they are dark brown and slightly charred on both sides. Then transfer to the paper towels.
• Make sure you let the zucchini rest on the paper towel to get rid of the excess moisture. The only issue with replacing lasagna noodles with zucchini is the extra liquid that comes from vegetables. After cooking the zucchini, just be sure to set it aside on paper towels to get some of the extra moisture out so it doesn’t make the lasagna watery.
• Let the lasagna sit and cool. As the lasagna cooks, lots of liquid may settle in the bottom of the pan, so when you take it out of the oven, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and it will reabsorb that liquid.
• Add some protein! Feel free to add ground beef or Italian sausage to your marinara sauce or tomato sauce to make it into a meat sauce! You could also use ground turkey or ground chicken.
• You can also add extra veggies! Diced onions, baby spinach, or mushrooms are some of our favorites. Just keep in mind that more veggies mean more water so it’s a good idea to cook any veggies before you add them.

How do you know when the zucchini lasagna is done?

There are a couple ways to tell when the lasagna is done. The first is that you’ll see that the cheese on top is melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan. The second is to stick a butter knife into the center of the lasagna for a few seconds. Remove it and carefully touch the end of the knife – if it’s hot that means the middle of the lasagna is warm and it’s cooked through. If it’s cold, your lasagna is still cold in the middle and needs more time in the oven.

Why is my zucchini lasagna watery?

Zucchini are made up of about 95% water which means you’ll need to do a few key things or you’ll end up with watery lasagna. First, cook the strips of zucchini in a hot pan. This will allow some of the moisture to cook out of the zucchini. The next step is to transfer the cooked zucchini to a paper towel-lined plate. This will soak up any remaining moisture. The third step is to let your lasagna rest for about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. This will give the lasagna time to reabsorb any liquid in the bottom of the pan.

How do you cut zucchini for lasagne?

The best way to cut the zucchini into thin strips for lasagna is with a mandolin. However, you can get a similar result just by using a sharp knife and carefully slicing the zucchini into 1/8″-1/4″ strips.

How do you keep vegetable lasagna from being watery?

The key is to cook the veggies before you add them to the lasagna! Most veggies have a very high water content so if they’re added to lasagna raw, all that water comes out in the lasagna. An additional step to ensure you get the most moisture out of the veggies is to place the cooked veggies on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up a bit more moisture.

Can you use cottage cheese instead of ricotta in lasagna?

Absolutely! Similar in their texture and thickness, cottage cheese can be used as a ricotta cheese replacement in lasagna. If you want to get rid of the lumps in cottage cheese so it’s a little smoother like ricotta, pulse it in the food processor until smooth.

Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: This zucchini lasagna is the perfect make-ahead meal! Assemble as instructed, cover tightly, and either refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to three months.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Freezing: Make sure the zucchini lasagna is tightly sealed, place it in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw frozen lasagna overnight in the fridge. Let lasagna sit on the counter for 1 hour to come to room temp, then bake according to recipe instructions. Plan to add a bit of extra bake time to account for the cold temperature.
• Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a 350-degree oven until warmed through. Or microwave in 30-60 second increments until warmed through.

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