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Zucchini Lasagna

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5 from 1 review

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

Units Scale
  • 4 medium zucchini
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
  • 16 oz. 4% cottage cheese (or whole milk ricotta)
  • 1 1/2 cups shaved Parmesan cheese + more for garnish
  • 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • julienne cut basil and fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Slice each zucchini into about 6 strips. You’ll want strips that are about 1/8″-1/4″ thick.
  3. Heat a large cast iron griddle over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drizzle the griddle with olive oil, sprinkle zucchini with salt, and cook for a minute or so per side or until dark golden brown grill marks form.
  4. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter to remove any excess liquid. Allow the zucchini to cool until you can handle it.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 mixture. Then drizzle with another heaping 1/2 cup of sauce.
  7. Add another layer of zucchini slices. Spread the remaining cottage cheese mixture on top. Drizzle with another heaping 1/2 cup of sauce.
  8. Layer remaining zucchini. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.
  10. Let rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the liquid to be reabsorbed.
  11. Garnish with Parmesan, fresh basil, and chopped parsley, and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • 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.