Zucchini lasagna is 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.
Key Takeaways: Zucchini Lasagna
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Bake Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Servings: 8
- Cook Method: Baked in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Flavor & Texture: Rich and cheesy, with tender layers of veggies and savory meat.
- Difficulty: Easy. This dish comes together quickly and requires only a bit of prep work and layering of ingredients.
- Why this Recipe? Simple to make and absolutely delicious! It is a real crowd pleaser.
Some of our favorite ways to use zucchini in the summer are in zucchini frittatas or zucchini quiche for breakfast, or sausage zucchini boats for dinner.
Another family favorite is this zucchini lasagna. It’s wholesome and filling, topped with bubbly, melted cheese. The texture and flavors leave you wondering why you ever needed traditional noodles.
Serve this dish with a side of sourdough garlic bread or sourdough cheddar biscuits for 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, parmesan, and homemade 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 you are tired of making all that sourdough zucchini bread or whole wheat zucchini bread, this is a great alternative for a nutritious and delicious meal!
Ingredients
Ground beef – You can also season the ground beef with the spices and seasonings from my homemade ground beef sausage recipe for even more flavor.
Cottage cheese – This gives a rich, creamy, and pleasant consistency to lasagna. You can use store-bought or even homemade cottage cheese.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Zucchini Lasagna
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 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. Grate the Parmesan cheese. Combine grated Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and remaining salt.
Step 5: Combine cooked onions and mushrooms, the browned ground beef, and the pasta sauce.
Step 6: Assemble the lasagna in a 9 × 13 baking dish with a layer of meat sauce, slice another layer of zucchini, more meat sauce, half of the cheese mixture, and half the shredded cheese. Repeat these layers.
Step 7: Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cooked through. For a more golden, browned top, optionally broil for 1–2 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
Step 8: Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves, then serve.
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.
Lisa’s Expert Tips
- Prepare your zucchini noodles before assembling the lasagna.
- For a bit of a twist, you can make your own creamy pumpkin pasta sauce for a fall-inspired version.
- Substitute the cottage cheese for homemade ricotta if 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.
Zucchini Lasagna FAQs
I recommend baking uncovered when working with zucchini noodles. Covering the dish with aluminum foil will trap moisture, and zucchini is already notoriously watery.
Yes, this dish is layered with raw zucchini; however, it is important to prep your zucchini beforehand to remove excess moisture. You can do this by salting it lightly and letting it rest for a few minutes on a paper towel to draw out excess moisture. You can then blot them dry and proceed to use them in the lasagna.
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.
For best results, aim for a thick sauce that won’t spill and seep throughout your dish. I love using my homemade marinara sauce!
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 Recipe in Cast Iron Skillet
- Homemade Spinach Pie Recipe With Puff Pastry
- Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Beef Recipe
- Cheesy Zucchini Gratin Recipe
- Easy Classic Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
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
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, cut in long 1/4″ slices
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 24 ounces pasta sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the zucchini very thinly, lightly salt it, and let the slices sit for about 15 minutes on 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 x 13 baking dish with a layer of meat sauce, sliced zucchini, more meat sauce, half of the cheese mixture, and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat these layers.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cooked through. For a more golden, browned top, optionally broil for 1–2 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves, then serve.
Notes
- I don’t recommend substituting summer squash as they tend to have more and larger seeds than zucchini.
- Prepare your zucchini noodles before assembling the lasagna.
- For a bit of a twist, you can make your own creamy pumpkin pasta sauce for a fall-inspired version.
- Substitute the cottage cheese for homemade ricotta if 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is SO good!
Cottage instead of ricotta works just fine! Great to know, thanks!
My family loved this! Delicious!
Is this recipe freezer friendly?
Yes, that should be fine.
I didn’t have mushrooms, so threw my onions in with the beef and it turned out great! Great way to use up zucchini.
I use Ricotta and use a white sauce bottom or top and a red sauce also 👍and sometimes do eggplant for the noodles that one is my family’s fav 👍
Sounds delicious!