This noodle-less Zucchini Lasagna is a high-protein, gluten-free twist on classic lasagna made with zucchini, meat sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella.
Noodle-less Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
This Zucchini Lasagna has been a Skinnytaste favorite for over a decade and was even featured in my very first cookbook. I make it every summer when zucchini is in season because it has all the comforting flavors of traditional lasagna—layers of rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and melty mozzarella—but swaps the noodles for thin slices of zucchini for a lighter, veggie-packed twist. Grilling the zucchini first keeps the lasagna from becoming watery while adding extra flavor, resulting in a naturally gluten-free, high-protein dinner that’s so satisfying, you won’t miss the pasta.
Why This Zucchini Lasagna Works
This Zucchini Lasagna recipe has been part of the Skinnytaste collection for over a decade and was even featured in my very first cookbook, proving that some recipes truly never go out of style.
- All the comforting flavors of classic lasagna with a lighter, noodle-less twist.
- High in protein, with over 25 grams per serving to keep you satisfied.
- Naturally gluten-free, making it perfect for anyone avoiding pasta.
- A delicious way to use up summer zucchini when your garden is overflowing.
- Grilling the zucchini first helps prevent a watery lasagna while adding extra flavor.
- Great for meal prep, and leftovers taste even better the next day.
- A tried-and-true favorite, this recipe has been part of the Skinnytaste collection for over a decade and was even featured in my very first cookbook.
Zucchini Lasagna Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this noodle-less lasagna. See recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Zucchini: Thin ribbons replace the noodles for a lighter, veggie-packed lasagna.
- Lean ground beef: Adds hearty flavor and plenty of protein.
- Onion and garlic: The aromatic base for the homemade meat sauce.
- Crushed tomatoes: Create a rich, thick sauce without the need for jarred marinara.
- Fresh basil: Adds bright Italian flavor.
- Part-skim ricotta: Makes the lasagna creamy and satisfying.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Adds savory, nutty flavor to the cheese filling.
- Egg: Helps bind the ricotta mixture so the lasagna slices beautifully.
- Part-skim mozzarella: For those irresistible cheesy layers and golden topping.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Simple seasonings that bring everything together.
Ingredient Tip: If you’d like to boost the protein even more, you can swap the ricotta for blended cottage cheese.
How To Make Zucchini Lasagna
Follow these step by step directions. See recipe card below for the printable recipe.
- Slice and grill the zucchini: Using a mandolin, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick ribbons. Lightly spray with oil and grill on a grill pan or outdoor grill until tender. Transfer to paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
- Make the meat sauce: Cook the ground beef with onion and garlic until browned. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Prepare the cheese filling: In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble the lasagna: Spread a little sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, then layer zucchini, ricotta mixture, meat sauce, and mozzarella. Repeat the layers, finishing with sauce and mozzarella on top.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for part of the cooking time to allow excess moisture to evaporate, then cover with foil and continue baking until hot and bubbly.
- Rest before serving: Let the lasagna rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing so it can set up and hold together beautifully.
Tips for Perfect Zucchini Lasagna (Not Watery)
Pro Tip: The key to noodle-less zucchini lasagna that isn’t watery is removing as much moisture as possible from the zucchini before assembling. Don’t skip the grilling and resting steps!
- Use a mandolin to slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin, 1/8-inch ribbons that will replace the noodles. A mandolin makes this quick and easy, but be sure to use the hand guard and work carefully.
- Because zucchini naturally contains a lot of water, I highly recommend grilling the slices first (a grill pan works great, too). Once grilled, let the zucchini rest on paper towels while you prepare the sauce so any excess moisture can absorb.
- I also bake the lasagna uncovered for part of the cooking time, which allows excess liquid to evaporate as it cooks. These extra steps make all the difference and ensure your zucchini lasagna comes out hearty and flavorful instead of watery.
Don’t skip these steps—the secret to noodle-less zucchini lasagna that holds together beautifully is removing as much moisture as possible before baking.
Variations and Tips:
- To make it vegetarian omit the meat and make it without.
- Use a variety of squashes and eggplant if you want to mix it up.
Storage
Meal Prep Tip: Since zucchini naturally releases moisture over time, leftovers may have a little extra liquid, but they’ll still taste delicious.
- Reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, then reheat in the microwave or warm in a 350°F oven until heated through. If there’s any liquid in the container, simply drain it off before reheating.
- Refrigerate: Leftover zucchini lasagna can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavors get even better the next day, making it great for meal prep.
- Freeze: You can freeze the baked lasagna for up to 3 months. Freeze individual portions or the entire casserole tightly wrapped.
More Lasagna Recipes You’ll Love
Check out these five healthy lasagna recipes, plus my zucchini recipes for more inspiration!
- Classic Lasagna Recipe
- Butternut Squash Lasagna (No-Noodle)
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Skillet Lasagna
- Ratatouille Lasagna
Zucchini Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- black pepper, to taste
- 3 medium, 8 ounces each zucchini, sliced 1/8″ thick
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 large egg
- 16 oz 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat.
- Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.
- Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8″ thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.
- Preheat a gas grill or grill pan to medium high, and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, until slightly browned. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well.
- In a 9×12 casserole spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Spread 1/2 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. The last layer top with remaining zucchini and sauce, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover the foil and bake 20 minutes (to dry up the sauce) then place the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake until melted, 10 minutes.
- Let stand about 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
Tastes great and will definitely satisfy a lasagna craving but more work than I would usually take for meal prep.
Looks delicious! Might over eat!
So simple, easy to follow and nutritious.
Where can i buy a good mandelin? Thanks
Pampered chef
I found mine on Amazon. I like this brand.
OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer
Takes awhile but worth it! I salted zucchini then put in my ninja air fryer to dry out at 375 for 3 min. I made it in batches but it worked better/faster than using the grill which I’ve done the few other times I’ve made this!
Made this many times with great success. Only change is I slice the zucchini into 1/4″ slices on a mandolin, add a little olive oil and salt, then grill them outside on a gas grill. When done I put them on a cookie sheet between layers of paper towels to make sure extra moisture is gone. This recipe is labor intensive but it also freezes very well after its cooked, so make 2!
Can I assemble in the morning and bake later or bake it and then reheat?
I’ve made this twice and it turned out great!
10 out of 10 recommend. I did switch the ground beef to turkey Italian sausage.
Could you cook the zucchini in the air fryer, in batches of course?
This is a bit labor intensive but definitely worth it. I broiled the zucchini for a few minutes instead of using the bbq. It turned out great, the lasagna was delicious
Will make it again. Thanks for the recipe!
Can I double this and freeze one? Just wondering if the zucchini will keep frozen?
We make this a lot! It’s time consuming and totally worth it.
Great tasting! However it took longer than stated to make, and used more zucchini than stated in the recipe. I will make this again however, as the taste is fabulous!
This is a fantastic quick recipe. My family and co workers lived it so much. It’s a great way to use up my mountain of zucchini from my garden!
Made this many times! We love it. My husband even tells people how good it is and offers the recipe. Freezing works great too
Perfect!♥
Thanks for the tip about freezing! I’ve made this in the past but now that I’m cooking for just myself it’s way too much for one person. Because of your comment I used four small foil pans and will be able to have it in the colder months when zucchini isn’t in season anymore. It’s delicious and very Weight Watchers points friendly.
First time making zucchini lasagna and I followed this recipe to the letter. It. Was. Delicious. The zucchini prep is a bit but I enjoy being in the kitchen so it didn’t bother me. I used the oven drying method that someone else mentioned and it was fine. Definitely putting this in my rotation.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This i s delicious
Delicious! My honey’s favorite dinner now!
This is a yummy dish. I cheated and used Rao’s spaghetti sauce instead of onions, garlic and tomatoes. I also added some hot Italian sausage to the hamburger. I prepared the zucchini as suggested. Very good!
Love this recipe. I have used it several times. I add mushrooms, onion and green pepper to my ground beef. So good!
I have always used this recipe for my lasagna and I absolutely love it!! It’s a little bit more of a process, but it’s worth every bit of it!!♥️
I made this recipe today. I like lasagna, but I can’t have all the carbs from the regular noodles, so I was glad to find this recipe.Yes the zucchini prep took a little longer, but that’s ok. I added diced Bella mushrooms and spinach to the meat mixture for more veggies. I really like this recipe, I will have to try the oven baking of zucchini method someone had mentioned in the comments. Thanks for this recipe
I love this recipe so much! Best lasagna recipe I’ve tried. I’ve even made a double batch, one with noodles and one with zucchini. The zucchini was everyone’s favorite.
this is a family favorite that we have made several times. I am gluten free along with a few other family members. My non gluten free husband loves better than “regular” lasagna. The grilling the zucchini really makes a difference.
Delicious! I’m sure it’s even better the way you wrote it. I lightened it up by using fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta and cooking the onion and garlic with the ground beef (so no olive oil). Only used 8 oz of part-skim mozzarella cheese. Added some Italian seasoning to the sauce as the basil alone wasn’t enough flavor for me. On this new Weight Watchers, it is 6 points for 1/8 of the pan. I’ve already made it twice!
My family loves this recipe, especially my 8 year old Granddaughter. She says she eats it for breakfast, lunch and dinner when she can.
Always my go to recipe for zucchini lasagna! Shared with my parents and now they make it all the time. Perfect!
Made this with faux meat. Skipped the step of grilling the zucchini as I sliced really thin with a cheese slicer. I cut 1 cup of the mozzarella too & it came out amazing!! Thank you so much for this recipe. We really enjoyed it.
Recipe turn out perfect, not runny and tasted very good. I substituted some of the ground meat with Italian sausage and added some parsley to the ricotta filling.
Would love to make this! What would be the calorie count without the beef?
I make it sometimes with ground turkey. Don’t know the calorie count since I quit bothering with calories and focus on healthy ingredients.
Google something like “calorie vount of 1pound ground beef”?
Been making this recipe for a few years now! With this year’s abundance of zucchini, I was looking for guidance on freezing…no answers to previous questions…hoping someone has done it with success!
I think it would freeze fine, just cool and freeze. Then thaw overnight and reheat in oven or microwave.
Did you freeze it? How was it?
My friends said it was delicious! It went from freezer to microwave with ease.
This is a favorite in my home! I always make it when we have an abundance of zucchini from the garden. I use my own sauce recipe and I do use a little more squash than the recipe calls for. Other than that, I follow the recipe. It’s time consuming, but definitely worth it. No one misses the noodles.
So delicious! I think it needed a couple more zucchini’s though. Definitely will be making this again!
Can this recipe be made and frozen for another time?
Great recipe but fully needs 3lbs of zucchini. 1.5lbs is just not enough.
Love this recipe! My daughter loves it when I make. I also love that it’s low carb. It’s a little time consuming but it’s worth it.
I had made this recipe several times but never ahead. Can i make ahead and bake later….havent seen any comments about that.
I’ve made the components a day or so ahead of time and then assembled the day I wanted to make it. I just stir everything up again and press the noodles with paper towel.
Thank you!
We make this every Mother’s Day. It’s my favorite! I usually use a little bit of extra zucchini and add some spaghetti sauce to the sauce in this recipe to increase the sauce amount. I use a 9 x 13 pan so I just need a little bit more of everything in the recipe. It’s delicious!
I lightened it up a little more by substituting 1/2 the ricotta with cottage cheese. I also subbed out the beef for my favorite hack—homemade chicken Italian sausage. Grind the chicken in the food processor, add spices and voila! I add no fat so there are no WW points. Plus, the sausage flavor adds even more to this great recipe!
Excellent, delicious and worth the prep! Since it is a bit time consuming I’m thinking of making 2 at one time and save the other for a future meal or guests. But wondering if it freezes well ? And if so, would you freeze before or after baking?
Love this recipe! I changed it up today with turkey italian sausage. It was very good either way. Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is delicious!! My husband says this is the only recipe for lasagna he wants me to make from now on!
Legitimately one of my favorite meals ever. A friend turned me onto it last year and I’ve had it several times when visiting. Just finished making for myself for the first time. 100% the extra work in using the zucchini instead of noodles. Couldn’t recommend this recipe more!
Thanks Theo!
Love this dish! I make the sauce a day or 2 ahead for easier meal prep. I also only use about 1 cup of ricotta cheese and 8 oz of mozzarella. It’s more than cheesy enough and so delicious!
Followed recipe exactly, which is kind of rare, and I could not be happier!
Just made this a second time for my family and it is a HUGE HIT! Pro tip from my kitchen: I put the sliced zucchini in batches through my air fryer for about 2-3 mins after salting and drying them a bit. It dries them out beautifully and makes such a great dish! I love having a tray of this in the fridge for the week ahead.
Thank you for that tip! I was searching for comments with alternatives to grilling, and here you are!
This is a great recipe. I have made it several times, and always go back to it! Perfect for a cold, cloudy day!!!
I made this lasagna last night and it is exactly what I was in the mood for after the Thanksgiving holiday. For those of you, like me, who don’t have a gas grill or grill pan, I placed the zucchini slices on a sheet pan and baked at 250 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Just enough to dry them out a bit more. I was able to do 2 sheet pans at a time, so it really didn’t take that long. I also used ground turkey instead of beef and it was very good!
Laureen, I just made this as written… although it was delicious, the grilling of the zucchini was WAY too labor intensive. Too many steps and took 2 hours from start to finish. I really appreciated your easy time saving alternative. This is exactly what I willl do the next time I make this. Thanks so much…
We love this recipe! It is time intensive with the zucchini so I’m making a double batch. Do you think this could be frozen? Otherwise all save the sauce I made and freeze the ungrilled zucchini.
I have made this recipe many times and we love it! I used to make it for my pilot husband and his coworkers, it is always a hit with no leftovers.
I am planning on making it this weekend and freezing it for the winter, any tips on how to do so?
Thanks!
Absolutely delicious! My family didn’t notice the switch from pasta to zucchini at first.
Oh goodness!!! Better than I imagined!!! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prep the zucchini. So delicious!
I love this recipe. Made it several times and it always turns out great
Not gonna lie – I found this one very labor intensive, and sweating the zucchini nearly killed me. I skipped the step of grilling the zucchini and used cottage cheese (whipped) instead of ricotta, and it was super tasty. Unfortunately, there aren’t any leftovers, so now I have to make it again. Delicious!
I made this lasagna but I added 1/2 cup of each, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, spinach, mushrooms, string beans, and carrots. It really made a big one. It was very delicious. I know I will make it again. I need to get more vegetables into my diet.
Even my husband liked it! I didn’t do anything to remove the moisture from the zucchini and it was not watery. Great recipe!
This is my go to lasagna recipe. Love it, even better than regular lasagna.
Very good recipe. I would add more zucchini next time. I used 2 pounds and could have used more. I added basil and fresh spinach into the ricotta mixture. This one is another keeper.
Like many of us when the garden starts to yield zucchini, we have to get creative to find different ways to cook with it. I made this recipe twice within the last few days. I omitted to use salt completely. Pre-cooking on the BBQ is a great way to burn off much of the excess water. The results were awesome!
I made this and the zucchini was hard to cut with the skin on once it was all baked. Do we take the skin off?
I have never had that problem! Did you cut it too thick maybe?
My husband and I loved this recipe, so much so that I’m making it for our whole family (kids and grandkids),for a big birthday celebration, even though it is labor intensive, but worth it! I cannot do cow dairy products so I substituted goat cheese and goat milk yogurt mixed for the ricotta, and pecorino, sheep cheese, very much like Parmesan. It worked beautifully. Just thought that would be helpful for anyone for cow dairy allergies. 😊
Glad you all enjoyed it and thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe!
I’m a carb lover and did not miss the pasta. This is so delicious. It did not disappoint.
Thanks!
Excellent!!!
The BEST healthy recipe. Thank-you ❤️
This was so delicious! I was cursing myself during the prep because it was so much work, but it really is worth the effort! I broiled the zucchini after salting, draining and blotting and was happy with the result. It feels indulgent for so few calories!
This recipe is extremely good. Give it a try! Does take time but really worth it.
My daughter asks for me to cook this every year for her birthday! Labor intensive-she knows I’m putting time into her dinner. I do use a jar of sauce instead of crushed tomatoes-I simmer down till no liquid. I also bake the zuchini first
Like noodley lasagna this takes prep time and isn’t a quick throw together dinner but it’s delicious and the leftovers are even better. I’ll find time to make this again!
This was a hit- made it as my meal prep for the week.
Like the other comments said it is labor intensive but so worth it as I had food to eat for several days.
Felt so indulgent with few calories!!
Very good we really enjoyed this lasagna. It is the best recipe I’ve found that wasn’t watery from the zucchini
I LOVE this recipe and have made it several times since 2018. It is ABSOLUTELY worth the work, but since it’s so labor intensive, here’s some of the tips I use to really make this dish shine:
1. Salting, resting, blotting, and grilling the zucchini is non-neogotiable. You don’t want a watery mess.
2. You need way more zucchini than the recipe calls for if you want true layers in the lasagna; more on this below.
3. I cut the zucchini thicker than the recipe calls for. If you salt the zucchini, let it rest, blot, let it rest, then blot again before grilling- you won’t have excess water; in addition, the thinner the zucchini is, the more fragile it will be after grilling. Plus, the zucchini shrinks, so you’ll need more. I find using thicker slices (half inch?) helps, as well as buying the biggest fattest zucchinis I can buy. When I make this, I go to the best most expensive store available, since they usually get better and bigger zucchinis.
4. I find using the amount of garlic in the recipe to be a bit much for us- I use 3 cloves or some of the garlic paste.
5. I do a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes PLUS a large bottle of Rao’s marinara. I like lots of sauce, and leftovers are not a concern.
6. I do about 1.5 lbs of ground beef- makes the sauce nice and thick and helps fight any watery-ness.
7. Play around with the sauce, let it simmer longer….
8. I add basil and parsley to the ricotta mixture. I use an entire large tub of it, as well.
9. Use a foil extra strong lasagna pan! No mess no clean up.
Loved by all.
This is so delicious and flavorful! I did not have enough zucchini, so I used eggplant and it worked like a charm. Also, I used turkey instead of beef. Will be making this often.
A family favorite!!!
Love this recipe! Have made it for many years. My daughters absolute favorite 😍
Amazing!
I love your recipes. I make them all the time and have never been disappointed. I cook a lot, but I made this one tonight, and it’ was hard for me to follow. But I got all the ingredients in the baking dish! Still waiting to taste.
Excellent! Better every time i make it!
I made this recipe with my teenage daughter. It was really easy to follow and turned out wonderfully. Thank you!
Making it again tonight. This time with meat. It is a bit tedious to prepare, but so worth it, and we will eat it for several meals. Cook once, eat twice, or thrice.
This time I cut the zucchini in rounds. The julienned pieces sort of fell apart on me the first time around. When my husband walked out of his office tonight and into the kitchen, he was excited to see what I was putting in the oven.
Thank you for sharing the tip about the circles. I’m trying that!
This is soooo good. I’ve made watery ones before, but the salting + grilling (I used a Grill pan on the stovetop) really works! My husband and I loved it! I probably won’t make it again because it just takes way too long. But it sure is delicious.
Excellent recipe! I used ground turkey instead of beef. Thanks so much!
Turned out great! It’s a bit of work and takes time but worth it. We added some extra veggies and it wasn’t watery at all. It was so good, we made it two weeks in a row – once with beef and once with impossible fake beef. Thanks!
I’m making this for dinner tonight. One of my favorites !
Delicious! It is a lot of prework, but it is well worth it! We did not miss having the pasta. The zucchini is an excellent replacement. Thank you for the work you did to perfect this recipe. When my husband tells me I can fix something again, that is saying something!
This was amazing! Instead of a grill pan, I used a gently oiled cast iron skillet and they came out great. Only a couple of minutes on medium per side, just a touch of brown. They softened up perfectly once baked! Highly recommend this recipe.
I make this a lot. Time consuming but yummy. I increase the sauce and decrease the amount of mozzarella – I’ve gotten it down to 7 points a serving. You don’t miss that Mozzarella in the middle in my opinion, its just cheese for the sake of cheese! I put it on top only, and even then just a sprinkling. I also make a regular pan with noodles for my kids along side it 🙂 (Typically double the recipe – I put more sauce on mine and more cheese on the kids) Sometimes it comes out liquidy – but its fine – the flavours are still fantastic!
Great recipe! It is time consuming but the results are worth it.
LOVE this recipe and make it all the time!!
This recipe is outstanding!!! I used ground turkey instead of beef. Use 85% lean ground turkey. If its leaner it is too dry.
Excellent recipe! I used ground turkey Italian sausage, and added some red pepper flakes and dried basil and oregano to the sauce, as well as some seasoning to the ricotta mixture. Otherwise I followed the recipe and was really pleased with the result and how well the zucchini held up and how little liquid there was. Will definitely make again as a healthier alternative to noodle lasagna.
I rave about this recipe to anybody who will listen! It is a favorite in our house and my grown kids are always asking me to make it for them! If you have instructions for cooking after freezing, please share.
I don’t understand why you have to cook it so long. all you are doing is heating up the meat which is cooked, melt the cheese, and the zucchini is cooked on the grill. one hour seems like a long time to me.
Have you tried the hour cooking time? Or is this just guess work?
I cooked mine for 30 mins uncovered and it was perfect.
This was a big hit! Thank you for sharing. The salt on the zucchini slices and grilling was a great idea to decrease the water content of zucchini.
Made this last night and I honestly didn’t expect to like it as much as I did! So good. ?i think grilling the zucchini was gold! Take the time. Worth it, I also swapped out the beef for Isernio’s Ground Chicken Mild Italian Sausage. Great recipe!
I like my zucchini thicker and we don’t have a mandolin so I cut them 1/4” thick and some were probably a little thicker than 1/4”. I also did not take the time to salt and let them sit for 10 min or get any ny water out at all, I put them in my Cosori air fryer for 10 min. (Used all 3 trays of the air fryer at once.) Turned out perfect. I also only did 2 layers of zucchini. My husband said he loved it better than real lasagna. Thank you for the recipe!
Oh, I also used Jimmy Dean Italian sausage instead of beef.
Can you freeze this dish? If so, what area the instructions for cooking once it has been frozen?
Yes. I froze it. Came out fabulous
If you like lasagna you will love this recipe ! I don’t think you miss the lasagna noodles at all.
I was careful to dry off the zucchini before I put the casserole together and it was not watery…One change I did make was to bake the zucchini for 10 minutes ahead instead of using a grill pan and I had not issues..
Made this with some sweet Italian sausage substituting for the ground beef, and a can of San Marzano tomatoes, and it was fantastic!
Can’t wait for the little leftovers I will have for lunch tomorrow!
My whole family thought this was delicious. This is my new go to Lasagna recipe.
So glad everyone enjoyed it!
This was outstanding. Yes, a little bit of work up front but my whole family (including kids) devoured it. Did not miss the noodles at all. I thought I was going to have too much zucchini (2 1/2 cookie sheets worth when I laid it out to salt) but I almost wished I’d included a fourth one. I was glad I did this on a grill pan instead of the grill because the zucchini ended up being fragile once it was dried & grilled. Will add to our weekend rotation!
I would like to use tomato meat sauce that I have in the freezer, how much do you recommend for half of the recipe.
So good, even better than regular lasagna! Will make again!
Super yummy! Will definitely make again
I am allergic to cheese and wheat. I can sometimes tolerate cheese but not everyday maybe 2 times a week.
try the vegan cheeses?
Very good, everyone loved it
Yummmy. We just made this tonight and it was well worth the effort. I would say it took three hours from start to finish and was so delicious. I’d take veggie noodles over pasta noodles any day. We used our little Forman grill and it worked great.
Can you make this the night before?
I gained a ton of weight over summer break, so I’ve been eating very healthily. Thanks for this!
Could you have a tab that automatically halfs the recipe?
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I subbed lactose free cottage cheese for ricotta. It was just perfect.
Amazing! A little bit of extra work but well worth the effort.
Great , loved it, a little more work than the regular lasagna, but well worth it.
Gina – why is this recipe not Keto friendly in your opinion? It looks like a perfect Keto dish to me. Thanks in advance for a response.
Did anyone else feel like you needed more zucchini? Mine weighed out to be 25oz total but I barely had enough to do three layers and in the video I counted four layers. Maybe I didn’t cut it thin enough! The recipe is awesome and I will make again. Really enjoyed the flavors and extra vegetables instead of noodles.
I agree, I always buy extra zucchini when I make this recipe. Better to have extra than not enough! 🙂
I have made this several times and always need at least 5. Zucchini is cheap, calorie-wise, so the more the merrier.
Amazingly delicious. Didn’t miss the noodles at all!
Anyone making this meatless? I’m making this today and currently following a pescatarian diet. I’m not a fan of fake meat products, so I plan to just add extra vegetables and otherwise follow as is sans the meat. Any advice or feedback is welcomed!
We usually use plant based meat and it comes out amazing! We can’t tell the difference. We also press our zucchini between paper towels and then bake in the oven on low heat for a bit to dry the zucchini out even further.
The first time I made this I sautéed diced mushrooms in place of the meat. It turned out great.
Did not miss the noodles one bit! I used slice option on a box grater and my zucchini came out a bit too thin so when I grilled them, they got a bit charred in spots. Next time I will hand cut. Flavors were great and it’s super cheesy. I made the day before and reheated the next day and it still had the crunchy cheese edges that I love so much. I added about an 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes to the meat to spice it up a bit but I think even 1/4 would be good too. This will definitely be in our rotation.
Made this tonight with coins of Zucchini (yellow and green) and in the center I put eggplant coins. Will be a favorite of our families especially when the garden produces so many of these wonderful plants.
This recipe was great, didn’t miss the pasta at all!
I made this with Jennie-O turkey sausage and we LOVED it! A healthier alternative to traditional lasagna, and it made a good dent in all our home grown zucchini!
Do you think I could grill the zucchini today & make the rest tomorrow?
I’m sure you could! Personally, I prep and assemble the whole thing the day before and just pop it in the oven the day of 🙂 Makes weeknight dinners much easier.
This is so good!! Thank you! I had it for dinner last night with a salad and for lunch today with a piece of sourdough toast. Delicious!
This is quite possibly one of my favorite meals EVER. Great for meal prepping. A little time consuming but worth it. Didn’t have a grill pan so just used a frying pan on high heat. Came out so much better than I thought it would. Will be in regular rotation.
Rarely do i ever follow a recipe verbatim… ok i added spinach because i had it on hand! But i just have to give kudos for this recipe! The tip on salting and precooking the zuchinni was the best way to reduce the wateryness! Superb!
Sounds delicious and I’m planning to make this tomorrow. Do you recommend peeling the zucchini first? Just not sure about using the end slices that still have the skins on after I cut up the zucchini. Thanks!
Pleasantly Surprised this really was delish!
I used Jennie-O Italian Turkey sausage and just had to added oregano to the meat sauce.
My tip: Although the recipe is Easy Peasy, , its a bit labor intensive having to prep the zucchini. So give yourself extra time. And Remember, If you salt your zucchini to draw the moisture out like I did before broiling them, be careful about adding salt to the rest of the dish. I did not and was so happy with my decision. it was pretty salty as is.
Can you make this a day ahead?
Great recipe and versatile too. I was going to make the new eggplant Moussaka from the new cook book and my husband said he wanted lasagna. So I decided to make this with strips of Eggplant ( I had about 2 pounds of raw eggplant) that I salted and then roasted till soft in the oven as in some other Skinny taste recipes. Eggplant was wonderful in this. I always use 2% cottage cheese as it has more flavor to me–then I cut way back on the other cheese and we don’t miss it at all. Don’t miss the noodles either. A favorite
I’ve made this many times and everyone always loves it!
This lasagna is/was delicious! I made it tonight only I used 2x as much garlic, added mushrooms & used ground turkey instead of beef….it was amazing. My 9 year old, who has become really picky lately, loved it!
Rave reviews, thanks so much, will be making it again soon!😁
This was a big hit! I could not grill the zucchini so decided to try broiling it. First salted the zucchini for at least 10 min (probably more) and wiped it dry before placing the slices on a baking sheet fitted with a rack. Broiled about 3 min per side. The slices did not get browned, but dried out quite a bit. I placed them on paper towels to dry further until assembly. It turned out great, the zucchini had a very pasta-like texture in the finished product. I had no fresh basil for the sauce, so used 1t dried oregano and 1t dried basil. Also used one 8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella in place of the 16 oz. of shredded part skim mozzarella. 95% lean beef, no olive oil. I calculated 7 blue points with my adjustments.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh wow this was so delicious and worth the effort! It was definitely a labor of love and made a special meal. I used dried italian seasoning since I didn’t have fresh basil, and I seasoned the ground beef with additional salt and pepper. I also roasted the sliced zucchini at 400F for 10 mins. Will be making again for sure, and will add some sliced olives next time for my little olive lover.
This recipe is amazing!!! I didn’t miss the noodles – in fact, I prefer it with the zuicchini. Not as heavy. Great dish!!!
Ok, first time makeing my own sauce. I checked it at home and at the store because I couldn’t find a 128 oz. Can of crushed tomatoes. So, being the engineer, I did the math and bought 5 – 28 oz cans. I thought it was a lot. When I got home my wife says ” wow, are you sure it didn’t day 1 – 28 oz can” . Daaaaaaa, there is an extra space between the 1 and the 28. So, I suggest maybe changing it to “1 can (28 oz) for those of us who are first time saucers. Still laughing. Feeling kinda stupid and looking for recipies to help use up a 5 year supply of crushed tomatoes 😉
Thanks for your confession! I had to laugh. It sounds like something I did earlier!
Appreciate your sharing your humor!
Amazing!!! I didn’t even miss the noodles. I made it with hot italian chicken sausage which fit right in with the flavors of this dish. I had no problem with the dish being to runny thanks to how the zucchini is prepped. Everyone had seconds of the lasagna. I will definitely be making this again and again!!!
Great for Noom Program
More recipes for casseroles like this
Excellent recipe! I didnt have zucchini so i used eggplant and it came out great!!
Is it better to freeze this before or after baking?
I want to make this but do you have grill the zucchini first? I don’t have a grill pan or grill. TIA!
I made this tonight and didn’t actually grill or salt the zucchini. Instead, I prepped the zucchini and laid it out on paper towels in the fridge the night before. No problems with water! If after baking your lasagna you find excess liquid, just dab carefully with paper towels.
I’ve been looking to use up a glut of courgettes, this recipe was lovely. I was surprised at how filling a portion was. Will definately make it again.
Very very delicious! Didn’t miss noodles at all. My husband &I loved it, and he doesn’t particularly care for zucchini. Will make again for sure! 😋
LOVE! I just made this for my family and the kids had no idea there wasn’t pasta in this. I followed everything exactly and 3 zucchini gave me enough for 2 real layers with filling and then a top layer. Worth the extra steps to avoid any watery problems with the zucchini. Will make again soon.
So delicious! My husband and I agree this is the best lasagna I’ve ever made, and I’ve made lots of lasagnas through the years!
Thanks Maureen!
This is a keeper. So very good!
I love making this recipe. It is labor intensive so I don’t do it often. I always add a layer of whole wheat lasagne noodles just to add a carb and for fullness. If you use fat free mozzarella even with the 1 layer of noodles it still comes out to 9 points per serving.
I love this recipe, but unfortunately I don’t have the patience to make it frequently because it’s a process. It is worth the work, and easier if you have a helper to grill the zucchini while you’re working on the sauce and making the cheese mixture. Also, I have a small grill pan so I can only grill 3-4 slices at a time and it’s time consuming, so if you have an outdoor grill, this could probably go much faster. 😀
It is one of my favorite ways to use really big garden zucchini. They make wonderful large slices. It’s saucy and cheesy and guilt-free comfort food – fits into our gluten-free and keto diet! The kids love it, too!
Took me all afternoon but darn it, it was worth it! So good! I made my own marinara sauce just because there was no way I’m running to the store for a jar of sauce. Besides, like the Urban Peasant used to say..”Use whatcha got!”. My husband isn’t a fan of zucchini but he loved it too. We’re having it again tomorrow and the rest will be frozen for another meal down the road.
Awesome recipe…thank you!
If I increase the serving size – say to 12, the pan size does not change.
We loved this recipe!!!
I added onion, orange pepper, and spinach to the meat mixture
It was awesome
This was our first time trying zucchini lasagna but won’t be our last!
This came out great
My family prefers this recipe to all other lasagnes. I slice, slightly salt and stack layers of zucchini and paper towels, weight and let sit overnight. Zucchini is then grilled on a panini press until tender and nicely marked up. It takes two hours to grill and assemble a double recipe in a huge lasagne pan. To die for. Thank you..
even better than traditional lasagna!
This recipe is delicious. Worth the time and effort. Does not disappoint and you don’t miss the pasta! So much less guilt eating lasagna. Made for second time and will be made many more. Love it.
ok hear me out: I added green bell pepper to the meat, and then I added frozen spinach and sliced mushrooms (not sauteed) between layers. so so good and the added veggies make it even better. I strongly recommend 🙂
I made this tonight – delicious but more like Lasagna soup. I both salted and grilled the zucchini, and followed the directions to a T. I did add extra ricotta cheese. Any iideaswhy it got so soupy and what I can do next time?
that doesn’t usually happen for me! I think the most important step to help is putting paper towels on the zucchini and applying pressure to get all of the moisture out. I also make sure I don’t make it too deep and bake uncovered so more moisture can evaporate.
Oh, also, maybe this is a big factor, I usually just use jar sauce! it’s probably thicker
Absolutely amazing. Made for my husband and his friend and they didn’t even notice there weren’t noodles. Subbed diced tomatoes because that is what I had, and worked out fine. Definitely getting added to the rotation, thanks for another fantastic recipe!!
Sauce was flat…after tasting it as it cooked so added more Italian spices and salsa…it worked. Definitely need to grill zucchini after baking for 4 minutes and dry. Considering slicing 1/4 inch thick net time. The PolishChef.
This was so good! I didn’t even miss the noodles.
When i tracked calories for this meal it came out to +100 cals more than listed. Any ideas?
Can I bake the zucchini instead of grilling? Can I add eggplant slices as well? How would you prepare the eggplant?
Yes. Look at this recipe https://www.skinnytaste.com/lighter-eggplant-parmesan-5-pts/
I’ve made this several times before, it’s always came out tasting great.
I do add more meat and cheese as the first time I ran short, but if you follow the directions, you can’t go wrong.
Delicious!! Great idea placing zucchini’s on paper towels, I was amazed at how much water It actually absorbed! My husband hates vegetables and he had two huge helpings! Thank you!
This was fabulous.!!! Truly a keeper!
Even my husband, who would rather have noodles than zucchini, said it was delicious.
The only thing I did (and this is only to please my taste) was to sprinkle Fennel Seeds on top of mine..
I did pre blot my zucchini and baked it for 12 minutes and blotted it again.
Thanks for a great recipe!
If I made it again, I would use one more zucchini (although I didn’t notice the spaces with the amount I had)
Love this recipe! Probably my favorite skinnytaste recipe, and that says a lot. The only changes I make: I use about 5 zucchini, and to dry them out I put the zucchini slices on a metal baking rack in the oven and then broil them. Since it is just me, I make two 8X8 pans and freeze one uncooked (with the cheese already added to the top). To freeze it I cover tightly in plastic wrap and then add a layer of foil. If going straight from the freezer to the oven I remove the plastic wrap and replace the foil, then cook at 375 covered for about 1 and 1/2 hour (could be longer for a full recipe instead of a half). Once it is thawed in the center I uncover and cook another 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melty and slightly brown. Then I let it rest for 10 minutes. Yum!
Just made this tonight! DELICIOUS! I thouhgt I read somewhere “how” to freeze this, but now I can’t find that. There was something about covering it….. I looked in The Skinnytaste cookbook where I found the recipe but it’s not there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Michele A
In the comments, Gina suggests freezing after baking. I plan to make this on Christmas Day for my gluten-free father-in-law. I’ve decided to make and freeze the sauce weeks in advance, and slice the zucchini a day in advance. Hopefully this will help cut the prep time for me on Christmas Day. I’ve made this several times. It is labor intensive!
My favorite lasagna. The meat sauce rocks. We also use the meat sauce with your butternut squash noodles, Thank you for your recipes.
This is one of my very favorite recipes, and a go-to choice for special occasions! Everyone likes it (even the pasta-loving Italian in-laws). My one recommendation is using more zucchini. I usually go with 5 instead of the recommended 3, and I haven’t had issues with it getting watery so long as I bake them in the oven first. Thanks for this great staple!
I have made this recipe 3 times. Instead of ground beef I used ground turkey italian sausage, 2 -28 oz cans of tomatoes, at least 4 medium zucchini. It is a favorite and no one ever misses the pasta. It does take some time though to pre-cook the zucchini. Not an everyday meal sort of effort.
OMG this is a wonderful dish! I don’t even miss the pasta, in fact I think I really like this version much better! It does take a while to prepare but well worth the effort. I ended up freezing half of it because there is only the two of us so tonight’s dinner is the remaining of the dish. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!!
Loved it! Worked well for me! I used a mandolin to get the zucchini to 3 mm strips then salted and left the strips for 30 mins. Then broiled the strips tool they were dry dry while the sauce was getting ready. No liquidy lasagna for me. I did wash off the salt from the zucchini strips and reduced the salt in the recipe by half (I made a double batch if everything else in reality). Would definitely make again!!!!
Im trying it tonight with reconstituted TVP granules and mushrooms, should be excellent!
Jenna
Can you use a dehydrator for the zucchini?
I slice the zucchini very thin with my mandolin, and then I microwave them in stacks to reduce their water content – it’s too thin to pan fry without tearing. Furthermore, I use extra crushed tomatoes and boil it down to make it thicker. Even then it still produces a lot of liquid once cooked, but not a problematic amount. I also use fennel seed and make extra ricotta and meat, so that each layer is relatively thick, and I put big pieces of Genovese basil on each layer. Clearly, I don’t follow the recipe to a T by any means, but I do make my zucchini lasagna in the spirit of this recipe, and it turns out great every time. 5 stars!
How long do you have to microwave the zucchini?
Can this be frozen , either uncooked or cooked?
Absolutely delicious! Grilling and drying the zucchini makes all the difference. I do not have a grill pan so I just used a large fry pan and quick seared each side. We served it at our weekly family dinner and everyone loved it! I have made other zucchini lasagna receipes but they all turned out sort of sloppy. This one sets up and slices perfectly.
Failed very badly for me – white sauce part split and courgettes not good as a layering veg. Won’t be repeating this one…
Made it tonight. It’s true about making sure the zucchini is very very dry. I pan fried a good chunk of them, and then left the rest. I didn’t drain the fat juice from the meat, but instead, used a strainer spoon afterwards when applying the sauce to the dish (the fat really helps caramalize the onions). I also added mushrooms, and left out the Parmesan as I dont really like it and didn’t want a jar of it that i’d never otherwise use.
Anyways, it was great. My wife was full, but insisted on another piece anyways. At the bottom of the dish, afterwards, there was maybe 1/8th of a cup of liquid left. So it wasn’t TOO bad, but I get why drying them is a must.
Definitely will apply what I learnt from this to make regular lasagna too (this was my first lasagna to be honest).
AMAZING. This tastes so good and is a great way to sneak in vegetables. Super easy to prep and pick up during a busy week. This meal is a staple in our house for sure.
It took far to long to prepare, I worked on it for 1-1/2 hours. Zucchini was too salty, warning only a tiny bit needing. Takes far to long to dry it down. It was a full 4 hours of total prep.
If I haven’t oversalted it, it would be very good. I also feel it’s too much cheese. Would not do again?
This zucchini lasagna was the beginning of a truly beautiful evening. My partner helped grill the zucchini on the bbq as I prepared the sauce (as we do not own a grill pan). As we waited for the lasagna to cook (this thing did take a long time from start to finish) we played cards, had some wine on the balcony and enjoyed each others company while the heavenly smell of lasagna wafted out from the kitchen. The lasagna came out amazing. I would hands down make this again for company. I was so proud of this masterpiece that I desperately wanted to share this meal with more than just my partner. – I like sharing food with people.
The only adjustments I might make is adding a zucchini or two – I used two medium sized and 2 small sized, but after slicing, salting and grilling, they reduced in size considerably. I might enjoy a little more zucchini. I also added mushrooms but might add spinach next time – I was worried that this would make the sauce too liquid, but you could just cook it down for longer. Also, we found 1 and 1/2 tsp to be a touch too salty. May reduce salt to 1 tsp for next time.
OMG!! This recipe is soooo good. Who needs pasta?? Made this last night. As others have said it took a little longer then stated, but it was definitely worth it. This is definitely a “company worthy” entree. Can’t wait to make it again.
HI – Thank you for this recipe! My hubby and I made it last night, and we both enjoyed it. We modified it alittle… We found we could use less mozzarella cheese, (to save me WW points) but we did add an extra 1/2 C of ricotta as we didn’t seem to have enough to spread nicely on each layer. Also, we sautéed some mushrooms with the onions and that was a tasty add.
The only complaint or suggestion I have is to please modify the prep time. There is no way one person could make this dish ready for the oven in 30 min. First off, just the time you have once everything is done for the sauce to cook said 30-40 min! There is time to get everything out, open things, cut the onions and garlic, assemble the layers, etc. Even if the other steps are all done while the sauce cooks, it’s not possible to prep in 30 min. I did not notice this until we started, so dinner was alittle late, though worth the wait. We had two of us making this, and we are not the fastest in the kitchen, but it took both of us nearly an hour to get it in the oven.
I also have a question. When I went to our local Kroger brand grocery store, I asked for 93% beef. They don’t sell it. They sell 93% grnd. turkey, but beef is not sold that way. Was this supposed to be turkey, or maybe our grocery store in CA is different? Note, I think the beef really made it.
Thank you! It was neat my hubby even like this as he’s not a big zucchini person, and loves regular lasagna.
I agree the recipe is great and thorough, but the prep time is way off. It took me that long to just grill the zucchini strips. I know wegmans and target carry the 93/7 ground beef, so I don’t think that was a mistake.
Also, there was no way I could fill a 9×12 pan with the three zucchini, especially after they reduced in size from grilling. I used the next step down and still had room to spare
Can you make this ahead of time? Like earlier in the day?
Yes!
Great lasagna! I used half beef and 1/2 turkey to cut on points. I also added about 1/4 C. Marinara sauce as the first layer and put no bake lasagna noodles over that for just one layer. It turned out great. I cooked it uncovered for 30 min then added cheese for 15 min and it didn’t dry out . I think the first layer of pasta helped soak up some “water” and provided a solid layer for serving it. I also added 2 t. Italian seasoning to the meat. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely AMAZING! I’ve made several other duke recipes over my almost 50 yrs cooking and baking for our family, but they are no match for this one. We don’t eat beef, so I used ground turkey instead. I detest mincing garlic so I used Rachel Ray’s genius zesting of the cloves. Used a medium shallot in lieu of the onion (easier for my digestive issues; no black pepper either for same reason). I have a small greenhouse filled with herbs, so I used fresh basil, parsley, and a bit of oregano. Muir Glen Organic whole peeled tomatoes (pulsed to break down in processor) in lieu of crushed tomatoes in ingredient list, Grilled the zucchini on the stove (Cuisinart large grill pan worked really well; loved the dark grill marks and flavor it imparted made it all worth it). I had 2 not-so-large dukes and one longer one, so I left the long slices for topping it all. So. Doggone. Good! Used an 11×7 ceramic pan and I loved how “high” the layering worked out. Thank you, thank you, thank you! DEFNITELY an outstanding meal. My husband always thanks me for dinner, but tonight he used a word that grabbed my attention: “That was a BEAUTIFUL meal..” He had 2 servings!.
Ugh, the spell checker changed “zuke” to duke….. same happened several sentences down…
I think this recipe will taste fantastic, but, I only had enough grilled zucchini to make 2 layers. Maybe it’s better to spread the zucchini out more so you can get 3 layers, as there would have been plenty of sauce and cheese. So, my top layer is sauce and cheese!
I’ve been making this recipe,for 3 years and love it! I recently used this recipe with pasta noodles, and it was lacking… This recipe has ruined regular lasagna for me but I couldnt be happier. The last time I used this recipe I forgot to get the zucchini and it still turned out great
I used this scope as. Loose guide, but it gave me the foundations for an excellent first attempt at a zucchini lasagna. First of all, do not skip cooking the zucchini. I did it in the oven rather than the grill, but once it’s dried out, it’s perfect. I also followed the ricotta filling ratio, but I added some wringed out spinach, and puréed it.
The main reason I followed this recipe was because of the layering instructions. I followed them to a t(ee?) and the result was outrageous! A good lasagna will puff up while cooking and then settle back down while resting. This lasagna did that,
Finally, I cut the recipe in half and made it in a loaf pan. It was amazing. Thank you!!
How did you do zucchini in oven first? I don’t have grill pan either.
preheat oven to 350. lay zucchini slices on 2 cookie sheets, salt lightly, Bake for 15-25 minutes,
THINK LIKE A NURSE! Put on gloves before using the mandolin.
yes!
Flavorful and better than a traditional pasta lasagna!!! The process of prepping the lasagna was long, but definitely worth it!!! I added a bay leaf when browning the ground beef and used a low carb/low sugar spaghetti sauce instead of the canned tomatoes.
How far ahead can this be assembled before baking?
Should be ok a day ahead.
Hey Author
Interesting post love to read more keep it up! And Thank You For Sharing….
Keep it up
Made this for my keto lunches. Usually towards the end of a casserole, I get bored and won’t eat it all. This thing was the best dish I’ve made on keto – finished the whole thing in 5 days. Fantastic!
I’ve made this without ricotta. It was still perfect
This recipe is a great find for me as I have Diabetes and needed a low-carb dish. This recipe hit the spot and with only 13 carbs per serving it is a blessing to me. I added asparagus spears along with the zucchini ribbons and it was so delicious, I couldn’t believe it. It even tasted better than when I make my regular lasagna with noodles. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much.
I wonder if i bread The zucchini with Panko if it would be good.
I’ve made this before w/o breading and it’s DELISH!
What if you realize you don’t have eggs and don’t want to run back to the store? Kicking myself! Any ideas?
I’ve made this without ricotta. It was still perfect
Great recipe! I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta and substituted mushrooms for the meat.
I recommend discarding the outside pieces of zucchini as they spoiled the consistency.
Thanks!
YUM!
This is a great recipe. I made it tonight and used ground turkey. It was the best dinner. Thank you very much for sharing. I look forward to making it again.
I’ve made this recipe one million times, always a crowd favorite.
I wanted to make this in advance and take it on our upcoming beach trip. Can you freeze this?
Sure, might be better to freeze after assembling and then bake it day of.
Sooo yummy!! Coming from someone that usually makes easy recipes, this was definitely worth the effort 🙂
The most amazing zucchini lasagna I’ve ever made. My family couldn’t get enough of it. Thank you!
i made my own Ricotta cheese with raw milk and heavy cream – not low fat, but really yummy!
Any idea on all the nutritional values to be able to track it, I made this today and it is better than regular lasagna
I’ve made this multiple times. We love it!!
Amazingly good. But there is no way it only takes 70 minutes. Took me 1-1/2 hours to prep and an hour to cook. My boys were starving by the time it was done!
This is amazing. Don’t miss noodles at all and actually enjoy it more without them. I love zucchini already and I’m in love with this.
Hi Gina,
Do you know how I would calculate the ww points if I made it vegetarian (with mushrooms instead of beef)? Thanks!
What Are the container counts for this recipe for 21 day fix?
I am almost a year out from my RNY surgery. My meals should be about a cup per meal. Do you have recipes that qualify as bariatric safe?
Yes, under the directions, in the nutrition info, it will tell you the serving size and if it is 1 cup for the serving.
Although my husband is allergic to onions, so I had to leave that out, this was delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
I prepped this the night before, my white sauce was thin not sure where I went wrong, best to make the same day as my zucchini created water the night before but was very delious. Will try to make it again and maybe add a few more eggs to my white sauce so it holds up better. Over all great dish..
I prepped this the night before not seeing the notes and there was a lot of liquid from the zucchini but very runny, my white sauce was thin not sure where I went wrong, but was very delious.
Absolutely delicious..made a couple of times..❤️
I have made this lasagna several times and it is always a hit. I’ve had a few friends say it’s the best lasagna (of any kind) that they’ve ever had. The recipe is easy to follow and it comes out perfect every time! I actually had a friend do a very small paint job for me and when I asked him what I owed him he said he just wanted this lasagna!
I’ve made this a few times and love it! Is there a way to cook this in an instant pot? Assuming yes but not sure about the cook time?
Thanks!
I am on a low-carb Keto diet. It is difficult to find keto-friendly recipes. This fit the bill. We love lasagna, but switching the noodles to zucchini was just as good, if not better.. I made this last night and it turned out great!
I left the salt on the sliced zucchini for about an hour and then rinsed and patted dry. That removed a lot of water,
I will be making this again soon!
I don;t have a grill pan. I assume a regular frying pan would work? Thanks
So yummy!!! One of my favorites. I’m about to have a baby and would LOVE to make this ahead and freeze… how would you recommend reheating?
I have to say I was skeptical about using zucchini as noodles in lasagna. My husband is on a diet and loves lasagna well anything pasta related to be honest. So I needed something that would tempt him but was not high in calories & carbs. When I saw this recipe I said ok this look reasonably easy and good lets try it. This was so, so easy to make and so GOOD!!! My husband not only loved it but wanted me to save the for our recipe box. For him that his huge because not just anything goes in this box. This recipe not only made it but sitting on top so it can be made first.
The sauce was amazing but the zucccini took FOREVER without the mandeline. :/ The whole recipe took me 2 hrs 40 mins because of the zucchini! And idk if it just needed a couple more minutes or not but the texture of the cheese on top didn’t turn out great. (Or maybe it’s because it was lowfat cheese?) Anyways, I really loved the sauce, but this didn’t really have a lasagna consistency. I’m wondering if adding mushrooms would help or if I should just add one or two layers of noodles. IDK. Ah. I will probably try again because I like the low calorie aspect and I want my family to love it.
This came out great! I used a peeler for the zucchini, they were thin so we salted them but didn’t need to cook them first. The sauce was flavorful and I seasoned the ricotta mixture. There was a little water that came to the surface but I soaked it up with paper towels. I’m glad this set up like a regular lasagna, I was worried it would be a mess but we loved it so much!
So Good! I made it today and it is delicious! I used cream cheese instead ricotta, otherwise followed the instructions exactly and turned out great. Thank you so much!
Wow! I just want to thank you for this recipe. I made the Zucchini Lasagna and it was amazing! As in better than any lasagna I’ve ever made (regular or zucchini)! I broiled the zucchini for about 5 minutes vs. grilling (just becuause that was easiest for me) and I used Muir Glen’s Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes and this thing was to die for. Even my husband and 12 year who are not fans of zucchini lasagna loved it! I am so thankful I found your website. I also tried another recipe that I will leave a separate comment for and it is perfection as well. Finding you is a game changer for our family! Thank you, Thank you!
This is amazing. I’ve been making it now for about a yr. I use ground turkey and no salt added tomatoes. I wish I was able to really calculate the calories info but I do know it wld be less than what you posted due to my substitutions. This is the only lasagna I make now. Thank you
The whole family loved this recipe, including my picky 7 year old!! Took quite some time to make – but well worth it!
In stead of grilling the zucchini, I cooked the water out in the air fryer and it worked great!
how long did you cook in air fryer and what temp.? Thank you
Holy Toledo is this good. I used home grown zucchini and tomatoes. My husband almost cried at first bite.
I have made this recipe too many times to count! It is absolutely delicious. Today is my youngest son’s birthday, 28, and this is what he asked me to make. I always use ground turkey instead of beef, my family loves it. Because I am doubling the recipe today I knew it would take longer to slice the zucchini so I decided to ask the deli in my local grocery store if they could slice it for me… And they did!! Such a time saver! Just wanted to share this tip to cut down on prep time. ?
Thanks, I love this!
I have made it many times now and it’s always a hit
Used jar of spaghetti sauce and yellow summer squash with provel cheese and a Mexican mix of shredded cheese cuz it’s what I had on hand. Turned out great. You really can’t go wrong unless you slice the squash too thick. Even then, just bake a little more. Delicious and easy. Not time consuming if you use ready made sauce. My whole family prefers this to regular lasagna. Woot! Thanks for a great adaptable recipe.
How deep of a casserole dish do you recommend? Mine is less than 3.5 inches and I can never fit my ingredients without overflow.
Thanks in advance.
Even though I weighed my zucchini (very large one from the garden), I only had enough for one layer. Luckily I had a sweet potato, so I used slices of that for the bottom layer. Overall it was pretty good, but I would definitely add salt to the ricotta mixture next time. More herbs for flavor wouldn’t hurt, either.
What are the other options for cooking the zucchini if you don’t have a Grill Pan or barbecue?
Made this recipe and it was awesome. Just started on the keto diet and this was a great low carb lasagna. My husband even said he thought it was delicious.
O.M.G. This was amazing!!! Next time I need to get bigger zucchini or I need to get a few more. I aljust fed too thin but it still came out amazing! Even though it was a bit time consuming I will definitely be making again.
If i cut this into individual servings and freeze them, will it warm up okay in the microwave?
This lasagna recipe will replace my traditional recipe! It was flavorful and held together nicely. My husband enjoyed it, too. It was perfect with a tossed green salad.
Be sure to follow the instructions and grill the zucchini. It really does make a difference.
I’ve tried this recipe recently and it appears really good. Thanks a lot!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! I will be making this again for sure! I actually make 2 smaller pans and put one in the freezer for later.
So good!! We’re not low carb but I have lots of Zukes and this is delicious!! I make pasta to go with it and it feeds a Crowd!!
I’ve been making this for more than a year. It always comes out delicious. I do not grill the slices, but bake them for about 30 minutes at 275 and have no problem with excess moisture. I generally use rather large zucchini, making it often only necessary to use one. Initially, I did not peel it but have begun doing that and I prefer the texture. We’ve frozen it several times and it has no effect on flavor or consistency. Great recipe!
Made this as I have alot of zucchini. Substituted ground turkey for the ground beef as we don’t eat much beef. Took a little time to do make this but it is delicious.
can I slice the zucchini and cook hamburger and put it together then freeze it until a later time to cook ?
Sure
A great recipe BUT do not fry anything in olive oil. It is not good for you when used to fry.
I want to bake this in smaller portions – would I need to adjust the cooking time?
I’m excited to make this! I don’t have a grill though. How would you recommend cooking the zucchini for those of us that don’t have a grill? Thanks!
Delicious! I made with ground turkey instead of beef and it was perfect. It took me over an hour to prep the dish, but so worth every minute! Thank you for sharing!
This was sooooo good and no more time consuming to make than my usual from scratch lasagna. We both loved it and I will be making it again soon. Thanks, Gina, for a marvelous recipe! My zucchini patch thanks you, too!
I made it with turkey burger yum
I just scrolled through the comments and can’t believe that I’ve never commented!!! It’s that time of year again where my garden is producing TONS of zucchini and I need to find something to do with it all! This is of course on my list! I have made this multiple times and just LOVE it! I double the recipe and divide it into four 8×8 pans. I then put it all together and freeze. When it’s time to eat, I take one out, thaw, throw the mozz on top and throw it in the oven! It’s perfect!!!! Thank you for a great low carb recipe to use up my zucchini!
So how much would 1/2 cup serving be ? Nutrition wise break down versus saying 1/8 of the pan
Divide it into 8 portions and that will equal 1/8 of pan
Made zucchini lasagne the other night. My family now wants it instead of regular lasagne. It was a hit. Thanks
Great!
I made this tonight and loved it!! I used a not so lean beef (because it’s all I had) and I used one jar of marinara sauce and one can of stewed tomatoes together…. awesome! Didn’t miss the pasta at all
I made it at home as the zucchini’s went ballistic in our garden. Went camping and came home to find more zucchini and Roma tomatoes were ripe. Brought all back to campsite and made fresh crushed tomatoes and did the meat and sauce in the Dutch oven over the fire. Assembled and baked in the smoker grill. It was AWESOME.
This recipe is AMAZING. My fiancé said it’s her absolute favorite thing I’ve ever made, and she isn’t even a big red sauce fan. The leftovers taste even better than it does fresh out of the oven, and they freeze and reheat beautifully. I used spicy chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s in place of the beef, and the sauce was perfect. I’m making my second batch of the month later this week 🙂
I’m VERY picky when it come s to lasagna and this is amazing!!!! I’ve made it 3 times and my family likes it a lot too! It does take me a long time for the prep! From start to finish, including baking was right at 2 hours. You do get multiple meals out of it, which helps when considering the time to prepare. A favorite for us though!
I love this dish, I’ve made it twice. The first time I doubled the meat (2 lbs of ground turkey) and added some tomato sauce in with the crushed tomatoes. The second time I followed the recipe and only used 1 lb and it seemed a lot drier and a bit too salty. It may have been because I used ground turkey instead of beef. Either way, a great recipe!
This is by far the best recipe we have found. We made a few changes but it only made it better. We used fresh zucchini from the garden and the following fresh cut herbs: rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. We also used mild and sweet Italian sausage rather than the beef. We drained it and it was wonderful. The mandolin is a must for this recipe. I added a red and orange pepper and Vidalia onion using the mandolin. We strained the meat sauce since I had added about 1/4 cup of red wine and saved it in a jar for later. Just delicious. This is the most fabulous recipe. Thanks so much!
This is a great recipe which I have now made twice. Is it just me or with that size dish does it only allow one layer of everything?! Thanks
This was amazing! Didn’t even miss the pasta.
How many people is this for
Can I cut the zucchini by hand?
Great, simple sauce! I’ll make this for other dishes. (I thought I had “The World’s Best Spaghetti Sauce Recipe” but this ranks right up there!) My zucchini slices were too thin I think, judging from your pictures. But I don’t have a 9″ x 12″ pan – isn’t 9″ x 13″ more common? Anyway, as I started spreading things, it all looked so lonely in that big pan. I used a smaller deeper baking dish – which explains the extra liquid I had. I added mushrooms, fresh basil AND oregano, some fennel seed in the sauce, hot pepper flakes, and regular cayenne pepper. It’s all scrumptious! I’ll have to get a mandoline for the proper zucchini thickness, I guess.
Eggplant sounds great, too!
Bland bland bland bland cheese ,bland tomatoes ,bland veggie just a bland dish.but I told my wife it was great lol
Who hurt you
I used eggplant. It was wonderful!!!
I got mine down to 345, using ground turkey, and eliminating the mushrooms ( not much difference, but, I don’t like em) I did it by directly importing and manually entering and could never get below 350.
This is my new favorite! Worth the work!
oops I meant below 340!
I make double sauce, put together the cheese mixture while sauce is cooking and then refrigerate both. I have also grilled on top of th stove the sliced zucchini the day before. If I have time to put it all together, I do that and refrigerate. The next day or so, I take out of the frig and cut out individual portions and only cook what I need and freeze the other portions separately and take out of freezer the morning I want to cook them that night. I freeze the extra sauce in one cup measures and it is good for many other dishes.
Don’t forget the meat in the assembly process… it is not specifically mentioned as a layer.
Never mind, it’s in the sauce
The meat is in with the sauce.
Amazing recipe. Since its my first time making it, it took awhile but it was worth it. Super yummy and it’s healthy. Thanks for a great recipe. Next one I’m making is cauliflower fried rice. ??
I find myself coming to your website over and over for delicious low carb meal ideas. Zucchini lasagna was a super hit!! At first my family freaked because they haven’t learned that reconfigured dishes can be just as tasty as the traditional high carb/high sugar varieties. But since I do the cooking, they know the drill — dry your eyes or you’re welcome to fix your own meal! Everyone ate it, and we would all eat it again.
Can I make this without meat or mushrooms?
If you wish.
Any recipe can be modified for different tastes/dietary requirements. I always omit mushroom from my recipes. I usually substitute some other vegetable such as Cauliflower or Broccoli. As to leaving out the meat…a lot of Italian Pasta sauces don’t have meat in them, they are tomato base. To make the sauce more substantial, the addition of a mixture/medley of vegetables is useful.
WOW!! This was fantastic and will be a new go to in our home. This was my first zucchini lasagna and i am so pleased that I have no need to try a second recipie. I did add mushrooms and spinach to the sauce and queso fresco instead of ricotta as that is what i had, and I also halved the mozza. So delicious I had to review it before I go for seconds.
The recipe shows 13g for 1/8. Is that 1/8 of a cup?
1/8th of the lasagna.
Think I could grill the zucchini tonight, keep it in the fridge and assemble everything tomorrow?
I think it would be OK, just make sure the zucchini doesn’t get watery.
Has anyone made this with eggplant instead of the zucchini?
My mom used to do that. 🙂
This is a favorite in our house and I’ve made it lots of times. I have had Gestational diabetes with two of my three pregnancies and this recipe is always on repeat especially then. We love it with Italian sausage instead of beef. I always use canned sauce and just bake the zucchini strips in the oven instead of grilling it. Both of these things save time. It does take a while but it is mostly hands off time in the oven. My kids like to help with the assembly.
What temp/how long did you par-bake the zucchini at?
Great recipe!!! Not surprised because I love all of your recipes!! 🙂
Awww thanks!
I have made this once and tasted it twice. This is an awesome recipe! Yes, it is a bit labor intensive and not quick, however the taste is well worth the work! It is soooooo gooood! Thanks for the recipe!
This was fantistic!!! Easy to make and definetly make it again. Thanks so much “skinnytaste”
Mj Van Krugel, Huntington Beach, Calif
A little frustrated that I looked at the total time as I started and it said total time 70 minutes. This is not accurate at all, even if it just meant cooking time. I am a proficient and good cook and it still took about 2 hours. Everyone ate it and said it was good. I will never make it again though. It was not worth the time when similar recipes and flavors would be much quicker.
Yours took over 70 minutes cooking time???? Interesting.
What about it took you 2 hours?! Slice Zuchini, grill them, make a quick sauce, and Assemble.
What did you do for 2 hours…. it took just a few minutes to slice the zucchini, then let sit for 10 with salt to draw out moisture while preparing the meat sauce…. no longer than boiling noodles…..
Totally agree. There is at least 1 hour and 40 minutes cooking time accounted for in the recipe for meat sauce to simmer and lasagna to bake. That does not include prep time or lasagna assembly. Dinner at my house will be very late tonight. Not cool.
This is surprisingly good. A bit too much liquid, but I will keep that in mind for the next time and will work harder to squeeze the zucchini dry. I put the dish under the broiler for a couple minutes for a slightly toasty top. As diabetic, I much appreciate a non-pasta lasagna. Thanks!
Has anyone cut up serving sizes, frozen and later reheated? Wondering how well this freezes and reheats……….i love recipes that I can make, freeze, and eat conveniently….don’t mind all of the prep so much when i can do this. Your experience with freezing this recipe plez. Thanks
I’ve done this a couple of times and it works great!!!
I make and freeze in single servings all of the time. It is just as delicious. Great time saver. In addition, I use turkey and not beef as well as fat free ricotta & mozzarella.
Thank-you ladies! I love zucchini, but my hubby does not. I’ve always wanted to try this and now I will, with many awesome lunches freezer-ready!!
My family LOVED this meal! it was enough to serve my family of three, twice. And the leftovers were just as delicious as the first night I made it. I
This will definitely become a staple in my house!
My whole family loves this recipe. It’s easy to make and is delicious. You don’t miss the pasta in this dish.
I have made this recipe several time and while it is labor intensive it is SO WORTH IT! My husband and I love it and you don’t miss the pasta at all. Definitely a great weekend recipe when you have more time to devote to prepping it.
Great recipe! Thank you! Normally, lasagna is out because I gain weight easily and husband has diabetes, but this recipe did the trick! I used the spaghetti sauce and cut up turkey meat balls from last night. I also used a couple chopped up mushrooms. My zucchini cutting skills need improvement and a few pieces were too thick. But I used them. After salting and drying them, I fried them in a pan. And, because it is all I had, I used a lot of veggie cheddar cheese with some regular mazzarella and parmasan cheese. I was worried about the veggie cheddar, but it still turned out great! LOL Plus, I was worried about there being too much sauce since it was so bubbly near the end of baking, but letting it bake uncovered the last 10 minutes, and then sit, really took care of that! I m going to buy a mandolin and go shopping for the correct ingredients next time. But after reading these reviews, I don’t think you can really wreck this recipe 🙂
I don’t have crushed tomatoes on hand… Can I use already prepared spaghetti sauce?
I used one jar of spaghetti sauce and it turned out great. I just let everything simmer a bit longer.
FYI – I also don’t have a mandolin so I used a cheese plane/slicer and it gave me perfect 1/8 inch zucchini slices (about the thickness of a quarter). Love this recipe!
Your post mentions this is freezer friendly. Is that before or after being cooked? If you have instructions you could share that would be great! Thanks! 🙂
In love with this lasagna! I don’t make it as often as I want to because it does take a lot of prep with the zucchini. However, I don’t even miss the pasta. If only you could buy the zucchini already sliced and grilled.
OMG….you don’t miss the pasta. Yes, a bit of prep work. DELISH!!!!
I have made this recipe MANY times and it is delicious. I have made it this way, with meat, etc.
I always add spinach to the ricotta mixture (frozen, thawed and water squeezed out until really dry). I have also made it vegetarian by substituting mushrooms for the meat. I have also made it vegan by making a cashew cream as a substitute for the ricotta. All have been excellent. #laboroflove
Your recipes are wonderful! I’m in love with Lasagne
I’m not really good at cooking, and found the steps easy to follow, good alternative to a pasta lasagna and low calorie. thanks!
OMG! So amazing. My husband made this for me for the first time last winter, and we have had it several times since. We prefer things spicy, so he subbed Isnerio’s Hot Italian Chicken sausage for the beef, (which also lowered the fat). DELICIOUS. Such a great comfort food!
Hi, Gina — Do you think it would be OK/still taste as good if I assembled everything the evening before and then just pop it in the oven the next night?
The only thing I would be concerned about it liquid from the zucchini if it sits for that long.
It still turns out great! I’ve made it both ways, cooking right away and cooking the next night.
Have you ever made it and froze it before cooking? I want to make ahead and freeze for a large group and just pop it in the oven?
I made this and it was terrific and great tasting. I wanted to get the fat grams down so I omitted the oil and used pam spray, got 96% beef, used fat free ricotta, reduced fat parmigiano reggiano, used eggbeaters and kraft fat free shredded mozzarella. As I said it was great tasting and I will keep this recipe in my favorites.
I made this for the first time tonight for supper and it was awesome. I absolutely love recipes that use zucchini and I make those recipes a lot. I will be putting this one on my favorites list. The only thing that I would change is to make the zucchini slices thicker next time.
Made it/Loved i!. I used ground turkey instead of beef and crushed a can of Italian style tomatoes instead of using plain crushed tomatoes and added a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes on the top layer of meat. This recipe is easy to halve for small households.
Can you freeze this dish?
Gina,
Do you think I could grill the zucchini on a George Forman? I’m going to try it. This is the best sounding recipe I’ve found. I will add sauteed mushrooms, also. I’m diabetic so finding good recipes that work for me is a struggle. Thanks for all your great recipes.
Yes on the George Foreman. 🙂
Made this tonight as I was craving Lasagna but didn’t want the carbs. So glad I did! All of your tips about “sweating” and grilling the Zucchini noodles are spot on. It produced a tasty and structured Lasagna. I went with low-fat Chicken Italian sausage instead of burger for a little extra flavor and added an ounce of tomato paste to the sauce. My hubbie loved it and so did I!
Awesome!!
Great!
I have made this twice now and even my hubby (who notoriously turns up his nose at my low carb recipes) will eat this and have seconds and its a bid hit at work. This is definitely a staple for me now
Great!
Tasted great and didn’t feel guilty eating it. WIN!
I left the meat out to make this vegetarian. Delicious!
I also used sliced eggplant.
I left the meat out to make this vegetarian and it was still delicious!
I’m curious if this freezes well. There is no way my husband and son would eat it, which is what has been holding me back from making it for myself. I would love to portion it out and freeze for lunches.
Just made this tonight and can say that it was really good. However its clear that you must have been able to find larger zucchini than my store had because I bought four and struggled to cover the zucchini layers. I will definitely buy more next time and slice them thicker.
So we inherited a ton of zucchini from the neighbors. I sliced it and dehydrated it (not too crispy), and put the proper amount into freezer baggies, so I have it ready when needed without having to dry it out, etc. Works great and this lasagna is delicious!
This is an amazing recipe. My husband goes CRAZY for it. He even brags to his mother about it causing her to ask me for the recipe – something she would never ordinarily do. The only changes I made were to make it half ground beef and half ground turkey. And I added sliced fresh mushrooms (sautéed along with the onions) to make it even “meatier”. It’s so delicious and what we like best is that it has all the comfort-flavor of real Lasagna but you don’t feel like you ate a brick afterwards. We LOVE it!
This recipe is GREAT!!! Will definitely be making again! I started prepping dinner way too late so I skipped the “grilling the zucchini” step. I still salted them and removed excess moisture. I then baked the lasagna UNCOVERED for 50 mintues and it turned out perfect!!! Was not runny at all, which I was a little nervous about for not grilling the zucchini. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
SO delicious! I love all things pasta and you HONESTLY could not tell this was pasta free! I would say the hardest part of this recipe is cutting the zucchini. Next time, I will definitely use a mandala to cut the zucchini. I wasted a lot of zucchini by cutting them incorrectly! I also made the rosemary/garlic/parmesan biscuits with this and they were just as good! Thank you once again, SkinnyTaste!
You’re welcome Erin! 🙂
This is sooooooo good. I made it last night and both my husband and I loved it.
This looks great! Would it not be Keto friendly too? Looks like it, but want to make sure I’m not missing something
i use full fat ricotta and full fat grass fed beef and I use canned tomatoes with 2 net carbs which i hope makes it a little more keto
I did the same as Janelle: full fat ricotta and grass fed beef. I used Rao’s marinara (2g net per 1/2 cup) because I was out of canned tomatoes. Came out great!
Fantastic. Grilling the squash (yellow squash or zucchini) makes all the difference. No watery lasagna! You can hand slice this with a knife 1/8 to 1/4 inch thin. Grilling fixes any slices that are too thick.
Made it this weekend – so delicious and worth all the steps. I mixed a whole box of (defrosted) frozen, chopped spinach into the ricotta mixture as a way of getting extra green veggies in. You don’t even taste it. And I used sweet, Italian turkey sausage instead of ground beef. Turned out so good!
I have never commented on a recipe before but this was so delicious i felt the need to share!! I used a store bought sauce instead of the home made one and it worked out perfectly! Highly reccomend this recipe. Did not miss the noodles at all.
Also used ground turkey inseam of beef and it was amazing!
Great! Thanks Maddie!
could I make this ahead of time, maybe a day or so before serving, what would you recommend, cooking it and freezing and then reheat or can it be refrigerated and cooked a day or two later?
THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am probably the biggest skeptic ever when it comes to subbing veggies for other things and the biggest carbaholic you will ever meet. But this recipe is a KEEPER. I was blown away at how tasty and satisfying it was and I didn’t miss the pasta AT ALL!!! I didn’t have a grill or a mandolin so I had to VERY carefully slice the zucchini thin with a knife, salted & drained on a paper towel, and baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350. It came out great and was awesome in the final product. I could eat this every day and it’s the perfect thing to have at the end of a long day when I want to feel like I’m getting a treat for dinner but I want to reduce my carbs. I was blown away at how tasty and satisfying it was.
Thanks Jen!
This will be my go-to lasagna recipe when I have an abundance of zucchini. I would certainly have used ground beef but my SO wanted to share this with his vegetarian son so I used vegetarian crumbles instead. The result was just delicious! The sauce was tasty and thick — there was no watery stuff on the bottom of the pan at all. And no — we did NOT miss the pasta at all.
This is a terrific recipe. I will make it again and again.
First – Thank you for this wonderfully delicious recipe I love it ! I’ve made it oh ……….probably 10 times now (got to use up that Zucchini) each time I try something a little different, here are a couple of my veriations.
1: Non fat cottage cheese with an egg mixed in in place of the ricotta.
2) double the meat and Zucchini (more layers)
3) use Garlic jack cheese only on the top and omit the Parmigiano Reggiano.
4) I sprinkle flour over each layer of Zucchini to help absorb the moisture
Can this be made ahead? I would like to make it one day and serve it the next?
DEFINITELY. I made it for meal prep and had it for dinner all week. It was PERFECT every time.
Just made this for dinner and both my husband and I went back for seconds. We were both a bit skeptical, but it was So Delicious. Used a grill pan on the stove to dry out the zucchini, which I cut with a very sharp knife as I don’t own a mandoline. Delicious dinner and an excuse to work on my knife skills? Win-win. Thank you so much for this.
We made this lasagna tonight but substituted spicy turkey sausage instead of the ground beef, it was amazing! We like our lasagna a little crispy on the edges, so we let it cook an extra 10 minutes. I cannot say enough how great this was. Thanks for another winner! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this tonight. I have a VERY BIG courgette from my garden (I’m in the UK) so I am going to have to improvise on how to slice it!
Another great recipe! As others have said, I used 32 oz zucchini instead of 24oz and baked in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 instead of grilled (watch the time – I burned mine and some stuck to the pan!) I also cut down the ricotta cheese to 1 cup and the mozzarella to 3 cups and felt like this was perfect. With these changes, my calorie count was 334/serving, 15g carbs, 19g fat, 29g protein.
Amazing baseline recipe. I had to improvise alittle because I didnt have a mandolin or special vegetable chopper to cut the zuchinni into thin slices (lengthwise), so i cut them in small discs and then halved them…. grilled these pieces (as recommended by others) and also doubled the sauce recipe. I also didnt have enough zuchinni for 3 layers, so i laid the bottom of the lasagna with a layer of penne and added a sprinkle of mozzerella cheese to give the lasagna more structure. It isn’t gluten free, but it’s still less carbs than a regular lasagna. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Does Anyone know if this dish freezes well?? I’d’ like to pre-make it and take it to use about 5 days later. Or if I made it, would it be ok to reheat without freezing?
Has anyone tried to make this and freeze before baking? I need to prepare a dish for a family dinner ahead of time, and I love this one, I’m just not sure if it would turn out ok after freezing?
This was delicious! I was worried about it being too wet, but I followed all the instructions (salting and resting, blotting with a paper towel, and then grilling the zucchini on my stovetop grill). This tastes even better as leftovers, too.
Like some other commenters, I found the calorie count to be way off, so I reduced the mozzarella cheese by a cup to try to mitigate the high calorie count. I don’t think the dish suffered–it seemed plenty cheesy! Otherwise, I made the dish exactly as written. When I make it again, I think I might get just a bit more zucchini–there were too many holes!
I just made this. It was so delicious and the noodles were not missed at all! I sliced the zucchini, salted & layered btwn paper towels and let them rest for about 30 mins. I then put them on a rack on a cookie sheet and roster in the oven for about 15 mins on 350. I added sauteed fresh spinach to the ricotta and omg I will be eating this all the time!
I don’t have a grill may I broil the zucchini instead?
Hi, can this be frozen? And would you cook it first or since the zucchini are part cooked is ok without bak8ng all the way?
AAAAAAAAAAMAAAAAZING!!
I am a LIfetime Weight Watcher and my husband is diabetic. This recipe is a dream come true! Grilling the zucchini is brilliant. This, in one meal, just became a family favorite (and just in the nick of time since zucchini is taking over our garden right now!). Thank you!
Wonderful!
This was excellent.
It is just the two of us, so I used a square pan but used the same amount of ingredients as some had written they ran low. As it was cooking to reduce the liquid, I thought it was never going to happen, but after a 15 minute cool down it was perfect. I hate runny lasagna. We ate it all.
Sold my mandolin when we hit the road. That would make it much easier but it was not necessary.
Pretty much followed all the directions. Added a little cheddar at the end as I was short on Motz.
As a gardener (former) I have a ton of zucchini recipes (If you grow zucchini that is a must). This one goes to the top and am looking forward to making zucchini tots next week.
Thank you
I had low expectations for this because I’m not usually a fan of substitutes for traditional delicious meals. I was wrong! This is SO good! I was very impressed. I used Italian chicken sausage in place of the ground beef and added fennel and red pepper flakes to the sauce. Even better left over!
Thank you!!!
When I work out the calories on my weight tracking app, I get 370 calories per serving, not 275. I’m using part skim ricotta (384 calories for 10 oz by weight, homemade using 2% milk) and part skim mozarella (1440 calories per pound, Galbani) and 1 pound of ground 93% lean turkey (640 calories). Those 3 ingredients alone make this 300+ calories per serving. Add the egg, zuchini, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese, and you are way over 275! Can you tell me the brands you used, and if you used any fat-free cheese instead of part skim? I’m just a bit confused on the math. Thanks! 🙂
So delicious; i went back for seconds! i didnt know how id feel without the noodles, but it was good and i will make it again. i love your recipes! this is the one place i think of first to try new recipes and re-use ones iv loved before.
Aww thank you Wendy!
This was absolutely delicious, 10/10 would make again. I would maybe use more zucchini and less ricotta next time, but that’s just a personal preference. Thank you for this amazing recipe 🙂
You’re welcome Erin!
Has anyone had success with freezing this and baking it later? Tips?
Would this work as a prep/freeze and then bake later? I’m trying to find recipes to make on weekends to have later in the week. Suggestions?
I haven’t tried it, but my guess would be to bake and then freeze.
My first time to make lasagna and it was awesome with the zoodles!
I planned to use low fat cottage cheese in place of some of the cheese, but I grabbed a large tub of sour cream (thinking it was cottage cheese…which I found I didn’t have) and used that instead. I used 1/2 the ground beef, and no egg. Didn’t have a grill, so dried in oven on low an hour, then cooked on low on flat griddle on stovetop, squeezing out some of the moisture with a metal spatula. The zucchini was fresh picked from the garden, and I sliced it thin with a knife. It was the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten…and I’ve eaten a lot of different ones, as lasagna is my favorite! 🙂 Thank you so much for this recipe!
Aside from it taking MUCH LONGER than 70 minutes to prepare (next time I will gril the Zuchinni as the ground meat is browning) you did not mislead us. I admit I had doubts, which is why I allowed extra time for preparation…..but it was totally worth it. This will replace our regular pasta lasagna. Next time, I will use ground turkey and add mushrooms.
My hubby forgot the crushed tomatoes. Can I use marinara sauce instead, or will it make it too liquidy?
I made this two weeks ago. It was delicious, but I found it to be a little watery. Because there are only two of us, I froze the remainder, after having two meals, into two – two portion packets. I used them to stuff four Portobella Mushroom caps. Topped with a little more Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Delicious.
It appears that there are actually 458 calories per serving vs. the 275 listed. I suggest doing your own calculations for accuracy. I imported the recipe into MyFittnessPal.
Different brands will result in different calculations.
To all the people asking about the calorie count discrepancy. I put the ingredients into a recipe nutrition calculator and it was coming up that a can of crushed tomatoes was 896 Calories! I don’t know what kind of crushed tomatoes those are, but mine is only 260 calories. That seemed to be what was making the recipe more calories that the 275 per slice that Gina put.
I made this today! It turned out amazing. I cooked the zucchini on a griddle and it turned out fantastic.
Hi I’ made this tonight and it was delicious, but I’m curious as to how you’re doing your calorie calculations. I was so excited to see 275/slice, but when I did a calorie calculation of my own it came to 370/slice.
Wondering if you can shed some light! (:
Just made this, was fabulous !!!! Will make again. So glad I found this website. Awesome recipes !!! Thanks so much Gina 🙂
Great!
I made this last night and substituted light cream cheese for the ricotta and used half the amount of mozzarella (bought the wrong size package at the store), it came out delicious! Plus my picky husband loved it!
Didn’t anyone find the mozzarella tasted stringy…was thinking to use cheddar next time.
In the first step are we just browning the meat or cooking all the way through? Also, would using the forman grill to grill the zucchini work?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Rori, I used the George Foreman grill and it worked perfectly. This is a great recipe.
Using a pound of ground venison, no fat added, what would you make the WW Smart points for this recipe?
This looks amazing can it also be made with eggplant?
Thanks
Annette
Great recipe, and I have two servings in the freezer – question, though, do people recommend reheating the frozen leftovers in the microwave or oven? Thaw first or straight from the freezer? Thanks!
This was delish! No left overs for this girl. Went out after dinner. Came home. Pan was empty. 🙂
I was lazy to get my mandolin that was packed away and used my cheese slicer. Worked great!
should this be cooked before freezing or make ahead and freeze after? I’m trying to do a bunch of advanced meal prep for family and easy cook/heat up, curious to know how to plan time for this one.
Likewise, I followed the recipe by cooking zucchini ahead of time in my skillet, but it still came out watery (but still tasty!)- any ideas?
This was absolutely incredible! Was a bit worried about the zucchini being watery/soggy since I don’t have a grill, but I extracted some of the water with light salting as directed and then put over medium heat in a saucepan for a minute or two on each side, dabbed a bit with a paper towel and they turned out perfectly!
Made the entire dish even though there’s just two of us– but we are more than happy to eat leftovers for the next two nights. Definitely will be making again!
Great!
Hi there, this may seem like an obvious question (I’m not a very experienced cook) but can I remove the meat and make this a veggie lasagna? Would any other substitutions or alterations have to be made? Thank you!
I don’t see why not!
I made this, and used about a pound more zucchini than the recipe. I baked the zucchini at 425 and then let it sit to drain even more water out. I used chicken instead of ground beef (my wife doesn’t eat red meat) and it was awesome. I think I might try it with mushrooms next time, and I might just leave out the chicken. This will be made again at my house, and I’m taking leftovers to work this week.
How long did you bake your zucchini for at 425? Grill is not an option for me!
I am making this right now! But I have to point out that this takes much longer than 70 minutes total. You have to simmer the sauce for minimum 30 minutes, and then bake the lasagna for 60 minutes, so that’s 90 right there. That’s ignoring browning the ground beef, assembling the lasagna layers, etc.
Any suggestions on how I should handle the zucchini before using it in the lasagna dish, if I have sliced it with the mandolin then frozen it (raw)? Defrost, salt, dry, then grill/bake?
Thanks!
I made this last night, and while it was a bit time consuming – it was well worth the effort!! I substituted the ground beef for ground chicken, and excluded the parmigiana altogether. It was still incredibly cheesy and delicious! Didn’t miss the noodles AT ALL!! Will definitely be keeping this recipe for future 🙂
This was incredible! It did take awhile to prepare and I ran out of zucchini slices on the 2nd last layer (luckily I had a couple more in the fridge I was able to slice and grill up quickly) but this could have been my own fault for layering too many on the first 2 layers or just not choosing big enough zucchinis to start with. I used jarred marinara and morningstar meatless crumbles in place of the crushed tomatoes and ground beef. I wasn’t sure if I would make it again because it took so long but then I tasted it…I’ll reserve it for weekends when I have plenty of time (and I’m sure it will go smoother now that I’ve made it once) but we will DEFINITELY be eating this again. Would love to try it with some eggplant layered in too!
I’M a diabetic. This recipe was hit in my family. The preparation of zucchini was a pain but worth it. Can I use summer squash in place of zucchini?
Substituting ground turkey. Adds wonderful flavor!
Hi i was wondering if there are any 21 Day Fix people who have made this and what the container count is that you use? Thanks!
This recipe is a family favorite. We make it at least once a month. The leftovers are awesome for lunch too!
I made this today and thought it was very good. I switched out the beef for ground turkey – but otherwise followed the recipe. My kids asked for seconds – so I know if it passes their picky taste buds, it’s good!
Love to hear it! 🙂
Can I use shredded chicken instead
Can this be made a couple days ahead of time (uncooked) and be put in the fridge. I like to prepare meals over the weekend so during the week I can just pop them in the oven.
I would bake it, it reheats well for the week.
Oh Gina. This half Italian New Yorker just died and went to heaven. This is fabulous and of course I will be eating it cold all week, I love all my Italian food cold. I used turkey since that is what I had in the house and added fennel, to pretend they were sausages, Since it is cold and rainy here in CA, I baked zucchini in oven first, worked fine, followed other reviewers. Thanks for taking the time to make such delicious recipes and allowing us all into your kitchen!
You’re welcome Dee! Not sure about eating it cold though…LOL!
This is really tasty and I really enjoyed it even if I did almost cut my finger off using the mandolin!
I’m doing the 5:2 diet so I cut this into 12 pieces (183 cals per serve) and served it with salad to fit into my plan for the day.
I made this last night using Italian sausage instead of beef. I dried the Zoodles on a cookie sheet in the oven for a bout ten minutes and it worked out great. I will never use noodles again! Thank you!!
You’re welcome Ginger!
When you cooked the zoodles did you place them on the sheet as a single layer and did you cook them at 350 degreed?
Yes, about 10 minutes at 350 degrees
For those of us who don’t eat red meat, what would you suggest as a substitute? Would ground turkey work well in this recipe?
I have used ground beef, ground turkey and ground sausage. In my opinion, the turkey and sausage had the best flavor!
I replaced the ground beef with cubed eggplant. It was wonderful!
I used vegan meatballs and cooked in microwave to thaw then chooped them up and put them in the pan with garlic onions mushrooms oregano and sauce
You could rough chop whole mushrooms. I would saute a bit before adding to the sauce or they may make it too watery. Baby bellas would be nice and you wont even miss the meat!
I do not eat meat myself and made it a few months ago using mushrooms that I diced fairly small, and then sauteed them to release their moisture. From that point on I treated them as the “meat” and followed the recipe. It was perfect!
Sure it would. I enjoy ground chicken more so than ground turkey, can’t wait to give this a try….like tonight!
Can yellow zucchini squash be used instead?
I used yellow squash and it was delicious!
This turned out fantastic! Used a cheese slicer to slice the zucchini whcih worked great. The only change I did was adding spinach to the ricotta layer. Will make again for sure. Can’t wait to try other ST recepes. Thank you!
We made this last night. It turned out much better than I expected. We ran out of propane in our grill so we salted the zucchini as instructed and drained the water. Put the the oven on 350 and baked the zucchini slices maybe 15-20 mins on the top rack., I just kept an eye on them when I saw that they looked dry I took them out. I had layered them on a cooking sheet so I took the top layer off and laid them on a paper towel and put the others back in the oven for maybe 5 more minutes while I was prepping. Some fell apart but not terrible. This was easier than manning the grill. For a leaner version I chopped chicken in lieu of the red meat. Added some extra basil in the sauce and some oregano. It was a very satisfying and filling dish. I was surprised that I didn’t miss the pasta! 🙂
I make a lot of online recipes and never leave comments or reviews, but felt I had to after making this recipe! Before making this I read the other comments and saw the comments that people said about it being so good that you don’t miss the pasta noodles and I thought for sure they were not being honest. Well, as a huge pasta lover I can say that this was very satisfying and I did not miss the noodles! Thanks for this!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just a question . . . when I enter this exact same receipt into MyFitnessPal Recipe Maker it says the calories are 463 instead of 275. Does anyone know why?
I should have added that this was WONDERFUL and we will be making it again!
great!!
Hard to say without seeing if your ingredients are input correct, if the marinara sauce is the same, etc
A similar thing happened to me. I was very careful when entering the ingredients and used brand names I know I will use in the recipe. Mine came out to 400/serving. Looks like a yummy recipe though.
I had the same result. In the end, we halved almost all of the cheese amounts to bring it down. We also skipped the zucchini and used whole grain pasta instead, and with the halving of the cheese, we were able to keep it at about 345 calories.
I made this recently but made a few small changes: cut back a little on the cheese (both of us had gastric bypass surgery so we need to watch the amount of fat per serving, though with smaller serving sizes it probably would have been okay as is), added an Italian herb blend and red pepper flakes as well as some pre-cooked mushrooms and rainbow chard (both drained of excess liquid) and it was VERY good. Leftovers were also great, though we didn’t have as much as I expected because my parents asked to have some, too, and so we split it with them. Next time I’ll add some pre-cooked red peppers, too but I’m sure that even as is the recipe is great (I just can never leave well enough alone :D). Thanks for this recipe and so many others here! I’ve made a few and all were great. I love getting the emails, too. Next week I am trying the Cuban Picadillo — can’t wait!
Hi all – made this the other night and it was delicious however, dare I say, even a little too cheesy for a cheese lover like me! The zuccini slices were a perfect alternative to lasagna sheets but I may cut out cheese from the bottom layers from now on and just stick to the sauce and ricotta mixture.
I added 1/2 cup of red wine to my sauce and a pinch of nutmeg to my ricotta mixture. Delicious! Definitely will be making again!
I’ve got this in the oven now. Hoping it’s as good as you guys say it is. Fingers crossed! ☺️
Any idea how this would break down for the color containers in 21 day fix per serving?
This was really tasty! Had to use dried herbs, but that didn’t detract from the flavor but I look forward to summer when I can use fresh basil!
I salted the zucchini and let it drain for about 45 minutes, then rinsed off the salt and patted dry then put it between paper towels and microwaved for about 2 minutes to par-cook and draw out some more water. That helped a lot.
Using the super thick sauce combined with draining the zucchini really gave it an authentic lasagna texture. I baked ours for 40 minutes with foil to be sure the zucchini was very soft and then without foil for another 30 because we love our cheese well done and this was PERFECT.
Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Can this be frozen and take. Out to bake?
I will salt the zucchini but do I have to Grille it before I bake it ?
Really want to make this but just questioning oven time. Does this really need to be in the oven for an hour? Seems like a long time to me. I don’t even cook normal lasagne with pasta sheets (fresh or cupboard) for that long (30-45 mins max).
I really think the extra time helps. It will sort of depend on how long you grilled or precooked your zucchini and how thick it is. I did my zucchini just about 1/8″ thick (#2 on my mandoline slicer) and salted it for 45 minutes, drained and rinsed it then blotted dry and put it between paper towels and microwaved for a minute and a half to drain more and par-cook it a bit. Then, because I’ve made veggie lasagna before that didn’t seem done enough, I baked in foil for 40 minutes then uncovered it for another 30, but it could have been done at 20, but we like our cheese well done and nice and brown.
hope that helps someone, since I’m sure you’ve either made it by now or passed on the recipe.
I use my George Foreman grill for the zucchini, works perfectly! 🙂 Such a yummy recipe.
I almost tried that, but used my broiler instead. Next time I will use the George Forman! Thanks for sharing!
In the cookbook it says a serving is 244 calories, here it says a serving is 345 calories. Which is the correct number?
I would follow the cookbook, discrepanies can vary by brand of sauce, cheese etc
I was going to ask something similar. We’re using noodles instead of zucchini so I was adding up all of the calories/nutrients for all of the ingredients minus the zucchini to then add to the nutrients of the pasta and I’m coming up with significantly higher numbers. I understand some variations by brand, but is it reasonable to expect 150 or more?
That aside, I absolutely love your recipes! I rave about them every chance I get.
Would anyone know by how much to reduce the amount of ingredients to make in 8×8 roasting pan? TY
Half.
one question -WHY partly skimmed ricotta? something wrong with just ricotta?
You can use regular but it will increase the calories.
This was a winner! My husband and daughter had seconds. He took it for lunch and even mentioned how it ” taste even better the second time around.” Looks like I’m going to have to invest in a mandolins now. Thank you Gina!
This was perfection! My only comment would be to double the zucchini. Unfortunately, we didn’t have access to a grill so we had to sear the zucchini in a pan. The results were still amazing and I’ll be making this again very soon.
Has anyone tried this with fat free ricotta? I didn’t buy part-skim 🙁
I just used regular ricotta and it was great! I don’t doubt that the fat free version would taste amazing too.
THIS WAS AMAZING! My fiance even said the zucchini tasted like pasta! I added a layer of frozen (de-thawed) spinach and a little bit of red pepper flakes to add some spice, and it was awesome! Highly recommended for anyone with a extra pasta and meat sauce!
Hubby doesn’t like ricotta or cottage cheese, so I end up avoiding recipes with them because I find it bland with extra mozz or provolone and weird with cheddar. Any suggestions on good cheese substitutes besides those?
I have the same problem! ????
I made this for my brother and picky sister-in-law, and they both loved it! I had some summer squash from my parents’ garden, so I used that instead of zucchini. I also did not grill the “noodles.” Instead, I sprinkled them with salt to draw out the water, blotted them dry with a paper towel, and then baked them at about 350 for about 10 minutes (I did get distracted and forgot a pan in the oven – they still worked just fine). The lasagna wasn’t runny at all.
I’m planning to make this again for some vegetarian friends who are coming to watch the presidential debate on Wednesday. I’m going to try out a vegetarian kale & arugula tomato sauce instead of the meat sauce. I hope it still turns out tasty!
I’m not a pasta fan but love the sauces and seasonings so this is a perfect alternative. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes. I am a WeightWatcher and am particularly grateful that you include the SmartPoints in your recipes.
First recipe I have tried using zucchini (courgette here in England haha) and it was a hit. Every member of my family loved it and preferred it to actual pasta!!!
We had decided to make this a weekly addition and are looking forward to trying more of your wonderful recipes! I love the low carb ones! xxx
That’s great Jordan!
This was incredible! My husband loved it. It tasted as good as regular lasagna. The zucchini was an incredible alternative. My husband and I are eating leftovers again tonight. He doesn’t do leftovers but loved this! All your recipes are incredible! We cook from your website 4 nights a week. Thanks!
Can I make this up in advance, or will the courgettes become soggie??? Also can I use any light soft cheese or will only ricotta do?
I wouldn’t make it much more than 1 day ahead. I haven’t tried it with any other cheese, let me know if you do!
I use low-fat cottage cheese in mine and it does great
I stumbled upon your blog the other day, because I was looking for a zucchini lasagna recipe. I made it last night and my God, my God it was so so good! Unfortunately I do not have a grill, so I did it without, but it came out really good. It is a repeat for sure and I will make it completely vegetarian next time when I make it for my best friend. I will definitely try out your other recipes.
Have you ever tried to freeze this. It is too much for 2 people and I’d like to make one for tonight and then freeze one for later. Thanks!!
Freezes great. You can also make half in a 9 x 9.
Would you freeze before or after baking?
Before backing
Another amazing recipe!! I ❤️Your site!!
thank you!
Have you tried freezing this a reheating later? Curious if that would turn out well.
We froze leftovers for a later meal and IMO, it was even better!
I made this today…it was amazing!!
The zuccini tasted like pasta, surprising.
Thanx for fantastic recipies ???? I use them for inspiration almost every day.
Kind regards
Katrine from Denmark (Big fan)
Thank you 🙂
I don’t have a grill. Ideas on how to cook it and dry it out?
I’m going to try them in a cast iron skillet and see how that works since our grill is not working and we do not have a grill pan.
This is probably way too late, but I was thinking roast them @ 425 on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes or so (or when dark green edges look like they’re shrinking up slightly – might not even take that long I’m just guessing). I love this recipe. I’ll never use noodles again.
I used my broiler for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, and that worked pretty well. It’s too cold for me to go out and mess with the grill!
I make this at least once a week and I slice my zuchinni into a 13×9 dish, sprinkle salt on it as I go. I let it set for at least a couple of hrs. Drain the water out of the dish then cook in the oven on 400 deg. for about 20 mins. It is so much easier than grilling and it always comes out amazing.
You just bake the zuchinni for 20 minutes by itself before preparing the entire dish?
Try grilling it over the flame on your stovetop directly. I like to roast/grill zucchini and peppers on the burner– it’s quick and cooks them perfect.
Bake it… then place on paper towel to absorb the liquid.
I like to make extra spaghetti sauce using the crushed tomatoes, and chopped portobellos for meatiness and chewiness. After I remove the amount needed for the lasagna, I add bone broth to the spaghetti part till I get the right consistency. I like to slice the zucchini a bit thicker, almost a quarter inch, and I use two zucchini. I salt it and weight it down in a wide colander to drain for about 30-40 minutes while I prep the rest. That way the zucchini is still al dente after it’s baked. I used fresh parsely in w. cottage cheese, and parmesan with the mozzarella on top. I added some ground flax to the sauce for thickener, and I don’t grill them. I also like assembling this on another day, later in the week, as the actual assembly part is not time consuming, and the sauce will keep in the fridge and taste even better. I covered with foil until the last ten minutes so the top didn’t burn. Left overs are delish.
Can this be frozen? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
A little labor intensive but well worth the work! This was delicious!
Can this be frozen?
My mandolin only has one setting and I guess the zucc slices were too thick. I only had enough for two layers. Will slice up 5 zuccs next time rather than 3. Sure this won’t influence the taste, but it won’t be as pretty as the recipe.
wondering about freezing; how does the Zucchini freeze
I have a really long zucc seeds are very large Noone has asked about the seeds r they a problem or should I eliminate some of them????????
Yes you can if you wish.
I prepared this last night to bake this evening. I just re-read the instructions and realized it said not to put the final layer of mozzarella cheese on until after it has baked 50 minutes. I already put the mozzarella on top 🙁 Will it still be okay to bake as long?
Can I prepare this ahead of time? Like the night before?
This is a great recipe. I am low-carbing while my husband is not, therefor I try to make meals that cater to both. We both loved this, took a bit of time but lasagna always does. Thanks again!
Love this recipe. Second time around making this I put the zucchini in the oven for 15 minutes instead of grilling it. Blotted dry after. Success! I love all your recipes! Had to make this minor tweak to cut down on time.
Mad this for dinner tonight and it was so good! My 8 year old said this was better than regular lasagna! Did take a while from start to finish, but worth it!
so confused how a 1/2 cup of the meat sauce is ssufficient for the bottom of a 9X12 pan. I loved this last time but layers didnt work out as mentioned because there wasnt really enough of it. Good flavor though!
This lasagna is to die for! I’ve made it twice, and yes, it takes some time, but well worth it when you taste it. The look, texture and TASTE are outstanding! This is going to be my go-to recipe for pot-lucks and family get-togethers. You absolutely do not miss the carbs. DELICIOUS!
Thank you!
Has anybody tried freezing this dish? If so is it best to cook in the oven before freezing? Does it matter?
This is TASTY! Time consuming, yes but worth it. Even my picky husband and two small children gobbled it up and asked for seconds. I will definitely be making this again, thanks for sharing the recipe!
Has anyone assembled the night before and baked the next day?
I make a version of this and just slice the zucchini. I don’t salt or grill it. I make a thick sauce and it all equals out in the end.
This was so delicious! I used Italian sausage instead of the ground beef and added a little cottage cheese and fresh parsley to the ricotta mixture. The slicing and grilling of the zucchini was tedious and I fudged a little, but all in all I would definitely recommend this dish.
I made this tonight, and halfway through grilling the slices got bored and finished the recipe without grilling. I DID salt them and pat them dry. It came out great; not soupy and everything was cooked through just fine. Just wanted to share that maybe you could omit that (time-consuming) step! 🙂
Made this for my boyfriend and a couple of the single guys in his squadron and they loooooooooved it! It was so good and so cheesy that you couldn’t notice there was no noodles! Several of the boys said it was the best lasagna they’ve ever had and now I have to make it for all their squadron events! I didn’t grill the zucchini or salt them, I just blotted them with a paper towel (minimum effort) and put them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 375 for like 10ish mins and they dried out nicely and the lasagna wasn’t soupy or overly moist at all! I also broiled the lasagna for the last like 3 mins to give the cheese a pretty brown bubbly look to it and mixed a little Parmesan with the monzarella on top (cause it’s my faaaav) and it turned out so well! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!! Will be making it (often) in the future!!!
Made this yesterday with zucchini from my garden…It was excellent! I used turkey chop meat and added fresh mozzarella for the top.
my husband and I are making it right now. we can’t wait to try it. We decided to try something different next time to help get the moisture out. We are going try dehydrating the zucchini the night before to see how that turns out. Thanks for the recipe.
Let me know how it comes out!
Takes some time, but wow the results are awesome!
This was absolutely delicious! I used a griddle to heat my zucchini instead of a grill (it was raining)…worked out perfectly. As usual, my husband asked if I was sure this was skinny. 😉
This is definitely a keeper. Gina, you never disappoint!!
Aww thank you! This is one of my favorites too!
this was delicious!! I used prego instead of making the sauce and added extra hamburger meat. YUM!
I want to make this for a friend who is allergic to gluten.
I have a question, in the prep it says to mix Parmesan cheese, I didn’t see it in the list of ingredients, how much do you use?
thanks, AJ
1/4 cup Parmigiano reggiano
Sure!
This is time consuming, but we’ll worth it! I didn’t even miss regular noodles. I will be making again in the future. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed!
I made this for dinner Sunday night. It was a labor of love as it was time consuming and I also bought a mandoline so I could make this recipe. It was very good, but the zucchini almost dissolved into the sauce and the lasagna did not hold together like a regular lasagna (I let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting). Also, I felt it was a bit calorie dense for a light meal and that there was barely enough sauce.
Next time, I will make the sauce a day ahead, using 1.5 cans of tomatoes. I will slice the zucchini a little bit thicker so they are more substantial. And I will try reducing the amount of ricotta and/or mozzarella.
We absolutely LOVE this recipe. What a find. I make a few substitutes, as I’m not eating mozzarella. Instead I use about one cup of shredded parmesan and 3/4 cup cottage cheese with an egg.
Also, another FABULOUS addition, which adds a TON of flavor is to dice up a package of andouille sausage and throw that in with the meat (I use ground turkey instead) at the last minute. SO MUCH EXTRA DELICIOUS FLAVOR.
Can this be frozen to use at a later time?
We loved it and it doesn’t matter the time on the weekends. Grilling the zucchini took a little extra time but it makes a huge difference in the taste. Great recipe, a keeper for us.
Made this last night and oh so good. My husband even said he likes it better than regular lasagna with noodles. I also added fresh oregano from the garden to the sauce.
This was time consuming but wonderful! A couple changes: I used Italian chicken sausage instead of ground beef, I sliced zucchini very thin with a veggie peeler and just salted/dried it with paper towels instead of using the mandolin and grill, and I didn’t do layers of mozzarella, just a little bit sprinkled on top (maybe 3 Tbsp total). There was a little leftover zucchini I couldn’t peel and I just chopped it and added it to the sauce. This was so delicious, filling, and tasted as good as lasagna without the heavy post-pasta feeling!
Best lasagna ever. I prefer this recipe over traditional lasagna with pasta. I did substitute the cheeses. My brother in-law has a milk allergy so I used goat cheese and a Jarlsberg lactose free cheese along with mozzarella. It makes it a lot more pricey, but it was fabulous.
🙂
I also used goat cheese because I don’t care for lasagna. Instead of beef we used ground venison. We loved it and my boyfriend was pleasantly surprised with the grilled zucchini instead of the fried he would normally use for zucchini parm (he’s typically the chef). Loved this recipe!
This is fantastic and will surely make again. But the nutrition info doesn’t add up. I plugged the ingredients into an app, leaving out the veggies and I’m coming up with closer to 400kcal per serving. Still works for me though.
Can you freeze this?
Yes! After it is cooked.
In the middle of making this as I type….A family favorite and so worth the work!
Does the zucchini have to be grilled? I live in an apartment and do not have a grill
I use a grill pan on my stove top
I made this tonight. It took me almost 2.5 hours to make this. I don’t recommend making this if you have somewhere to go soon. I pretty much followed the recipe closely. After all the frigging it came out delicious! Sometimes I charred the zucchini and it was delicious and flavorful. I used 1 lb pork and I cut zucchini with a knife. I added mushrooms in my sauce and I used no salt added crushed tomatoes. Love this. Thank you! ?
I made this lasagna for my daughter and her fiancé this weekend because she eats gluten free. It was a huge hit, totally delicious!!!!
Made this tonight for dinner and I wasn’t sure my family was going to like it….but they loved it and asked me to make it again!
So good!!! Couple of lower calorie subs: used 96% lean (didn’t have to drain and cooked meat with onion and garlic) no fat ricotta and half the mozzarella (2% milk). Also, I baked the zucchini with salt for 10 mins each side. Let it sit for 15 mins and was delicious! Thank you for this recipe!!!
I split this recipe into 2 smaller lasagna pans & froze it before my daughter was born. Can I throw it right in the oven frozen?? If so what temp & for how long? I love this recipe!!!
I would be concerned with the type of pan that you are freezing it in. If you are freezing in a metal pan I think you could be ok putting it in the oven directly. That being said if you are using pyrex or ceramic you might run into issues with the rapid change in temperature and the integrity of the pan.
I just recently found your website and love the fresh recipes and the nutritional information you provide. This is the first dish I made from this site and it is terrific! My wife and kids (33 & 35) love it and I’ve made it 2 additional times. It also freezes very well. The only change I made so far is to add some red pepper flakes to the meat sauce. For those of you that didn’t have enough zucchini, I would definitely recommend a mandoline. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise first to get a nice flat surface and only cut them 1/8 inch thick. They only take a minute on each side on the grill.
Denny
Wonderful. Full of flavor. Didn’t change a thing. This most definitely will be made for company. Thanks Gina.
You are welcome!!
BEST RECIPE EVER!!!!! Thank you sooo much for this wonderful lasagna!!
I made this using using egg plant instead of the zucchini..
This was a big hit with my family! I am making it for the second time tonight. Going to use ground turkey and add mushrooms this time.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe today, It is really delicious and tastes like real lasagna. We really loved it. I will definitely bake it again. Thank you for this great idea.
Can I make this one day before?
Sure, it should be fine!
I look forward to making this dish.
It serves 8 and I would be making it for 2 so I was wondering how well it freezes?
It freezes well. Freeze after it has been cooked.
I have been making a similar recipe for years, but I do not grill the zucchini. I use ” biscuit mix” in a shaker and shake lightly over each layer of zucchini before adding next layer of recipe. I use a gluten free form of the mix, but either one works! This saves just a few more of my precious minutes.
I’ve made this several times and it is delicious! I sub fat free ricotta for the part skim when I can find it in the market to lighten it up even more, and I use a lot more zucchini! It really is a fantastic dish, I’m never disappointed when I use one of your recipes, making the zoodle shrimp scampi tonight! 🙂
The shrimp scampi with zoodles is our family’s fave dish!!!! So, so yummy!!!
This was a delicious dish that I made in spite of the fact that my husband only likes zucchini baked with sugar and flour into a bread… 🙂
However, I did use more meat (3 pounds of lean ground turkey) and a skosh more crushed tomatoes/spices which made for a very meaty and tasty casserole.
I will, for sure, be making this again! Thanks for showing us how to lighten up our favorite recipes!
I love this, but I can’t seem to make it in a 9×12 pan, but it works great in a 9X9. I always have this problem with regular lasagna also. There wasn’t enough zucchini or meat, but it is probably me.
I have the same problem. I use the 9×12 – but I DOUBLE the meat and zucchini. Works perfectly 🙂
Made this last weekend when our daughter and family were here, everyone loved it, we did not have leftovers. I will be making this again.
This was a real labor of love. I love zucchini and I’m always looking for creative ways to get my family to eat it. Bonus that it’s low in carbs. I can see how this recipe would be easy to tweak. I think my sauce was a little on the dry side so I can play with that next time. This hits the spot! Thank you!
I prepared my zucchini the day before while grilling dinner. That make it very easy to assemble the next day.
what if you don’t have a mandolin? How can you slice it best?
I have sliced it into rounds in my food processor, and boiled it instead of grilling.
I cut it with a sharp knife or use my grater (one side is for slicing cheese). Love this recipe! I make it so often, I even make it for my Weight Control Clinic patients. It’s super delicious. 🙂
🙂
I made this and it was excellent! I followed the recipe, but used turkey instead of beef. It was perfect! Definitely will make this again! A new favorite.
Just made this using Meatless crumbles instead of ground beef. It was delicious! My husband even enjoyed it, and he hates vegetables!
Can this be made 2 days ahead of time and baked the day of???
Bake now and freeze, reheat up to a week later! We do this often, 4 kids and 2 are 2 and 8 months 🙂
If you reheat after frozen, should it be defrosted completely? Does it become mushy or not?
I haven’t tried it so not 100% sure.
I have made this recipe a number of times and it even helped me to win my fiance's heart (or so my story goes)! I usually use ground turkey instead of beef and it freezes wonderfully! Thanks for such an amazing recipe!!
Just made this for the first time and it's fantastic! My hubby ate seconds, he loved it so much. I used grass-fed beef and added some fennel seeds and dried oregano to the sauce. Thanks again for another hit!
I bet this would be good also with sliced eggplant or alternating zucchini and eggplant slices!
This is our FAVORITE now! So much healthier, full afterwards, but not stuffed. Been doing two at a time, so can freeze one, Matter of fact pulled out a frozen piece of dinner tonight!
How do you freeze it? Do you cook it completely and then let cool before putting it in the freezer or do you follow all the steps up until baking and then bake it later? I would like to make more freezer meals but to be honest I’m just not sure how exactly to do them. Thanks for your help!
Freeze after it has been cooked.
I have assembled it and then frozen it before cooking in the oven, and that worked well too.
When I told my husband I was planning to make this, he said, "That doesn't sound appealing at all. But I'll try it." But when he actually tried it, he said, "Why would you ever bother making lasagna the regular way? This is DELICIOUS!" Big, big win!!!
I roast the zucchini (or eggplant) slices in the oven – spray jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet), 350 for 10 min, flip over, spray again, and roast another 5 min until tender. Nice roasted flavor adds depth. You could prep other steps while slices are in the oven. No problem with excess liquid.
Question: how do you pre-cook lentils to sub for meat? Or do you add uncooked (I'm thinking not)?
I would def cook them first, just like you cook the meat first 🙂 Lentils is a great substitute idea.
Thanks for the roasting suggestion! I love the added flavor!
Very interested in making this. It looks delicious. Any idea on what 21 day fix containers this meal would fit?
I would say 2 green, 1 red and 1 blue per serving.
I just made this for the 2nd time. This time I didn't bother to salt/grill the zucchini. I simply layered eggplant slices above the zucchini to absorb the extra moisture. The consistency was awesome!! I also cut the calories in half by subbing the lb of ground beef with a frozen black bean veggie burger patty. It is a bit better with meat (I am a carnivore) but this sub meant I could eat 2x the amount for the same cals. Well worth it – it is still delicious!
Did you do anything to the eggplant?
This looks amazing- however my son is allergic to eggs. Is there a substitute that I can use or can I just omit? Thanks!
You can just leave out the egg. I almost never use it in ricotta as I like mine more soft and creamy.
I know I'm coming late to the party, but I wanted to comment on non-dairy options for the cheese. First, the recipe is fabulous! I am allergic to both dairy and soy, so I used a cashew-based provolone cheese instead of dairy-based mozzarella. It melted nicely and tasted yummy. I bought this provolone at my local natural food store. For the ricotta, I made a cashew-based ricotta substitute that I found on the internet. It was a little bit of work, but tasted yummy. I didn't miss either the pasta or dairy-based cheese in this recipe. Yum!
Help! I read wrong and mixed ALL cheeses together! I still layered and it is cooking now. Topped it off with what mozzarella cheese I had keft. Hoping for the best! Made it before and it was delish! I knew something didn't seem right as I was mixing the cheese. What do you think? Making dinner for my mom and brother. …
This is great with cottage cheese. No need to squish it; the lumps are actually better than the pasty ricotta. Half the price, too.
Did you still mix the Parmesan and egg into it?
Yes, I would add the parm & egg to the cottage cheese. That is how I make regular lasagna.
Hi-
Any idea of the fat/calorie count per serving?
The nutritional info is listed above the recipe.
This was delicious! My husband said it was OUTSTANDING! My only minor adjustment was cooking time, I cooked for 25 minutes and then let it sit in the oven for about 15 minutes. Solely due to personal preference because I prefer crunchy zucchini and not super soft and mushy.
Says to preheat oven to 350, but then says to back at 375.
This is a great dish. I've been making this recipe for years. Eggplant instead of the zucchini is very good also,
I didn't do anything special to the zucchini at all. I just sliced it and used it raw in place of the noodles. The zucchini cooked as it baked and it was fantastic, not watery at all. Also, I used Lightlife Veggie Protein Crumbles instead of ground beef.
Thank god! I just threw it together then checked the recipe for oven temp only to realize I was supposed to do a ton of work to the zucchini. In the oven now, so here’s hope!
How did it turn out for you without grilling the zucchini?
Just made this recipe today! It is excellent!
I grilled the zucchini with some lemon pepper seasoning and pulsed the onions, garlic and basil in the food processor (because my knife skills leave much to be desired, and I'm just lazy) and sautéed before I threw in the tomatoes. It's in the oven now; can't wait!
Why do you post a review before the dish is completed cooking? Not helpful.
It’s a comment, not a review. I think it’s a woman thing. Bear with us, we love sharing short cuts and tips.
Chill dude ✌️
I absolutely love your blog- I have been following it for over 2 years since I did the WW program a few years ago and you helped me be successful with the program. I have leftover Ricotta and started going through your recipes and landed on this one. Even though it doesn't call for Ricotta and I don't eat meat, I am going to modify this recipe to accommodate:)
I have also made several of your recipes from your cookbook- AMAZING. Thanks so much.
I want to make this without the meat. Did you add anything to substitute the meat?
I used blocs ground crumbles turned out great!
*Boca
I have a healthy salad recipe to share, its a salad with Indian herbs and i got appreciated by many friends for it!
I thought if i get someone to hear my recipe, try it and blog it!
I made this tonight and while it did taste good, I will never make it again. It took way to long to prepare – over two hours!
what? How… I made this tonight and it took 40 minutes, which included gathering all the vegetables for the recipe from my garden and cleaning them up.
How did it only take you 40 minutes when the baking time alone is 50 minutes?
Well, yeah, preparing quality meals usually takes time.
This was a lot of work, grilling the zucchini, but well worth it! Highly recommend this recipe. Yum!
i'm wondering if it would spoil the recipe if i added well drained frozen spinach to the ricotta mixture like i do with my regular lasagna. Also could i replace cottage cheese for the ricotta?
How long do you broil the zucchini ( in place of grilling), and do you broil it on high or low?
Can you make this the night before and then back in the morning?
Your lasagna was delicious. My daughter also liked it. I used fat free ricotta and I am considering trying it with fat free mozzarella, but I think it might miss someething.
Could I prepare this during the day , put it in the fridge and cook at night?
Yes, no problem, just covered it with foil or the actual cover for the oven dish!
I usually do it like this.
I made this layered in my crockpot……..I added some finely ground pepperoni, chopped fresh kale, 10 oz.drained frozen spinach,2 cooked and chopped sausage patties to my 1 # ground turkey
If I don't have a grill or grill pan can I dry the zucchini out in the oven?
Hi, I am a bit confused. The recipe says to pre-heat the oven to 350 but cook at 375. Could you please clarify?
Any suggestions for dairy replacement? I know I can get vegan mozzarella cheese, just wasn't sure about the ricotta and Parmesan.
This was amazing. It tasted so decadent that I promise you won't miss the pasta. I left out the meat and added spinach to the ricotta cheese just because I love spinach. Yum
Made this yesterday and it was delicious. My 2 year old loved it!
I just finished my second helping and came to one very important conclusion…. I am NEVER using pasta for my lasagna again!!!!!!!! This was sooooooooooo good!!!
I made this yesterday evening and it was delicious. The only change that I made from the original recipe is that I substituted ground chicken breast for the ground beef. The sauce was REALLY flavorful! I might try slicing the zucchini to 1/4" instead of an 1/8"… hoping that will give it a bit more texture. Loved this!
I made this last night with a friend and it was delicious! Both households really enjoyed it. We used a 12 oz block of cheese and shredded it. Would this result in ours being more cheesy? I didn't think to measure the freshly grated cheese.
Has anyone tried freezing this? Results??
I baked this earlier today and it was absolutely delicious. My husband is not a fan of Zucchini but he honestly couldn't tell the the difference, we both loved it!
Any advice on freezing this? I see a bunch of questions, but no answers. I wonder if the zucchini would be mushy after freezing?
What kind of mandolin are you using? The Pampered Chef mandolin I have doesn't work because the food holder won't let you slice lengthwise. >:(
Another slam dunk recipe, Gina; this is remarkable. We followed your suggestion and used (Jennie O) turkey sausage for our meat then, because a thunderstorm interrupted our zucchini-grilling plan, we grilled the sliced zucchini on the stovetop. This is a marvelous recipe – as has been every other SkinnyTaste dish we have made. Bring on the zucchini harvest – we empty nesters will try at least half of your recent 35 Zucchini Recipes post.
To turn a phrase, Gina, “You are a perfect stranger.”
Let me first say WOW!!!!! My husband and I made this last night. My daughter doesn't like lasagna noodles, so I usually fix it when she isn't home. We made it and then proceeded to devour it ;-0!! Ingenious!!! We will make this our go to recipe for home, family dinners and work too. I used cottage cheese instead and a two to one ratio of sausage. THANK YOU, you are a Goddess!
Oh, wow. I made this tonight for my family. A huge hit! My husband even said he liked it better than "real" lasagna. A keeper for sure! I had my husband grill the zucchini before preparing the dish. I would highly recommend grilling the zucchini first, as Gina instructs. I love this site!
I made this recipe as written and it was a hit at home and leftovers were a hit the next day at work. Will definitely be filing this one to make again.
so preheat to 350 but cook at 375? ok…
I didn't have a grill pan or grill so I baked the zuchinni to get rid of the access water. It was a little time consuming, but worth it. It was delicious! Hard to believe it's a healthier version!
This was fantastic – as its just me – I am freezing half of this for another week. Thanks Gina! Looking forward to your cookbook this fall!
For anyone who doesn't have a mandoline; I used a vegetable peeler! My slices were really thin, so I just layered the thin slices up to make a thicker layer of zucchini. Worked great!
Thank you! This was fantastic. We used extra lean ground turkey instead of beef and flavored the meat with lots of chili powder and a mix of traditional Italian seasonings. I also added some thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms to the onion/garlic mix with a splash of red wine. We also layered more fresh basil in between the zucchini layers. My only critique is that we needed 4 zucchinis. Amazing dish – the boyfriend ate THREE helpings!
Tried this recipe with hesitation because my husband is quite picky. He LOVED it. Can't tell that the noodles are not pasta. So glad I discovered your website. Keep up the good work and God bless your talent.
Hi Gina! We had this last night and it was awesome! Cleaned out the fridge and came up with layers of sauce,(jarred and doctored up), fresh spinach, mushrooms sauteed with fresh thyme, cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and italian chicken sausage. It was fabulous and we froze the rest for another day. Gina, you rock!
Gina – you mentioned a mandolin is essential for this recipe. What kind do you recommend? I've been wanting one for a while, but didn't want to waste my money on junk. This recipe looks fabulous and I'm eager to try it out for our family as well as for a family that has just had a new baby!
what is a mandolin? thankyou
It slices vegetables, I linked to it above. You can also thinly slice with a knife.
I love your recipes. This one though after being so labor intensive left me feeling "meh". It was bland. I added some crushed red pepper. And maybe the name "lasagna" is a bit misleading. Zucchini casserole is more like it. Sorry. It was good but not awesome.
Made this for my mums birthday just now, they all looooved it & so did I! Amazing, going to make it again!
Finishing off my second piece now. It's a serious time commitment, but MAN it is good!!!
Hi! I'm new to trying to eat with points. I started off with Atkins (which did not work) , then switched over to Weight Watchers. It has been much better but, having cooked professionally for years, I find the flavor of many WW recipes pale in comparison to (what I regard as) "real food." 🙂
This recipe, however, was DELICIOUS!
I did make a couple of modifications but most of them had to do with seasoning the zucchini (while grilling it) and adding quite a few more spices to the sauce.
I'm the only one in the house who is on WW but the other people?
THEY LOVED IT TOO!
So, thanks! It's nice to see that I can forgo standard (or polenta) lasagna and end up with something both hearty and tasty.
I will definitely be making this again!!!
I made this (we have the same XO mandoline slicer) and 1/8 sliced zucchini was super thin, like paper! They should be thicker right?
Awesome recipe. Made it he other day and was surprised at how good it was. Will make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Made this this weekend and loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
*rolls eyes*
I'm in the process of making this right now, and it's smelling wonderful; however, 3 medium zuchinni weren't enough, I found. I had to slice up one more to have enough to cover,and I had to use more ricotta (actually, I used cottage cheese, because my husband has some sort of aversion to ricotta. haha) than it called for. Looking forward to eating it though.
It look so delicious! can I also use eggplant with this recipe?
I made this for my husbands' side of the family, for his birthday get together (aproximately 20 people). I used some sweet and some hot low fat italian sauage instead of the ground beef. Everyone raved!!! Suffice it to say, there are more people coming to this blog! Told them I only cook "Sknny". Everything I've ever cooked/baked has been amazing! Also made the skinny chicken soup w/shitake mushrooms AND skinny chocolate cake, with 0 fat whipped cream, a little dark chocolate fondue sauce and fresh raspberries. The entire meal was awesome! I'm an addict and only cook skinny! Cheers, Jennifer
I used a a Mandolin to get the zucchini very thin, worked well, this was so delicious. Can I freeze portions of it?
Me and my boyfriend made this lasagna the other day and He LOVED IT!!! I had never prepared my own tomato sauce and I found that super fun and easy to do! Absolute success!! Thank you skinnytaste!
If you can't grill the zucchini, bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes on parchment paper or non-stick foil – it helps dry it out and is still delicious. I love this recipe!!
I made this tonight as an experiment. I love regular lasagna but I don't need to add any extra carbs to my diet (not that I don't eat them, I just tend to overdo it). I was a bit skeptical because I don't like the taste of zucchini, but it was SO yummy!!! I really surprised myself! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I LOVE this dish! I've made a vegetarian version for some friends & family as well! I've recently been diagnosed as per-diabetic, so this recipe is great for low-carb eaters… This time I cut the zucchini in rounds and made mini lasagne cupcakes (highly recommend using silicone cupcake liners) & am keeping them frozen for an easy microwave lunch
This recipe was perfect! I didn't even miss the noodles. Plus, my boyfriend, who seems to be allergic to anything green, ate a ton and couldn't stop raving about me making again sometime 🙂 Definitely going to! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this tonight and it was really delicious! I didn't have a mandoline so I just used a peeler to cut the zucchini super thin. Also, I was lazy and didn't grill the zucchini or put it under the broiler, I just pat it down with paper towels. Mine wasn't runny AT ALL! It was absolutely delicious, didn't miss the noodles one bit. I don't even like zucchini and I loved it. This one is a winner.
Yes, but it will be a little watery, maybe use less sauce.
What mandoline slicer would you recommend for your perfect long zucchini slices?
This was awesome, as all the recipes on here I've tried are! 🙂 Thanks so much!
i made this a bit ago, and my husband and i LOVED it!!! in my book, it beats the original noodle lasagna. you eat a piece of that and you're ready to just pop cuz youre so full!! with the zucchini, you eat a piece and youre full but definantly not about to pop. i love zucchinis to begin with, and this is def one of my fav recipes!!! thank you so much for sharing!! i recommend everyone should make this at least once in their life! :):)
Made this tonight — so delicious! i'm vegetarian so i left out the beef. i made a veggie loaded spaghetti sauce last night for dinner and used the leftovers for the lasagna.
This was outstanding! I was shocked by how delicious it was! I used Italian turkey sausage in place of ground beef, but that is the only modification I made to the recipe. I think I prefer this version to my old noodle version!!!
This was delicious! My zucchini hating boyfriend ate it and said (while he didn't love it), he'd eat it again. That's an accomplishment!
I doubled the meat and zucchini and used cottage cheese instead of ricotta (cheaper), but otherwise made the recipe as is.
How can you prepare to either freeze or let sit for a few days in the fridge. Taking this to a new mom and don't know if I should freeze and deliver or store in fridge until she is ready to bake it!? Any ideas would help!!
I made a vegetarian version of this last night, making a tomato sauce instead of a meat sauce. Sorry to say that my husband and I didn't like it much. We really missed the pasta! The good thing is that my piece ended up only being 3 pts+.
I think it needs the meat 🙂
This was a more complicated recipe than I thought I was signing on for. Thank you for the idea though. It's in the oven now and I just hope it turns out well. I didn't grill the zucchini beforehand and I slaughtered several innocent zucchinis trying to get nice thin slices. Word to the wise: have some other zucchini recipes on hand so as not to waste so much! I'm going to make zucchini blueberry muffins tomorrow. As for this recipe, I may not make it again, but I might do a variation and just chop up the zucchini and make it into a pasta bake. I don't think I will be buying a mandoline.
Is it possible to make this without grilling the zucchini first (I don't have a grill or grill pan)?
I have made this before without the grilling part, and it was slightly watery as you mentioned. I only have a charcoal grill, but do you think microwaving on paper towels could have a similar effect?
Thank you for this dish! Loved using the fresh zucchini. I was worried about getting the long slices thin enough, so I actually just sliced the zucchini into circular slices like I normally would. I layered them as directed and it turned out great! I did also add some fresh oregano and parsley and used only 12 ounces of cheese. My husband said I must make lasagna like this from now on! Thanks again!
We make this recipe every other week and I love it. My husband, who I am trying to introduce to healthy, tasty eating, likes it and my one year old eats it all- and we normally cannot get him to eat meat! Just so yummy no one can resist!
Our Garden is over run with zucchini… any idea if this freezes well?
This dish is absolutely amazing!!! Since I didn't have a mandoline, the zucchini gave me some trouble (slicing & grilling), but all the trouble making it was well worth it. I didn't have parmigiano reggiano cheese, so I added extra mozzarella to the ricotta cheese mixture. Overall, the dish was awesome. I would suggest you blot the zucchini to remove excess water, because it will splatter somewhat in the oven. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I have found that when I sprinkle oatmeal on raw zucchini there is no problem with extra liquid. No need for salt, grilling, etc.
Made this lastnight and it was absolutely amazing. I followed the recipe to a T. I used the majority of mozzarella on top which was perfect, the ricotta with a sprinkle of mozza in the layers was perfect. Paired with easy garlic cheddar biscuits and my whole family couldn't stop saying "mmm… yum…. oohh.. soooo good" the whole meal. Excited to eat the leftovers later for dinner again!
I have also made this with eggplant as some other comments say. I always leave out the meat. For meat lovers, I have served it as a side dish with roasted chicken. I always peel the eggplant and salt it over night. The texture is entirely different than zucchini and may not be as kid friendly. The milder zucchini taste will likely be more suitable for kids.
In the picture of the layering, it looks like you are layering the zucchini all facing the same direction. Is there a reason for this? With regular lasagna you typically layer the layers criss-crossed so it holds together better. Does this criss-cross method not work with zucchini?
I’ve never heard of the criss cross method for regular lasagna.
I made this last night and while the flavors were excellent (I used turkey sausage instead of beef), the texture was soupy — despite taking more than an hour-fifteen minutes putting it together exactly as written (before baking!), and letting it sit for even longer than Gina recommended. This is too time-consuming to make again as directed, but the flavor is so good that I will try to figure out how to shorten the prep time and reduce the soupiness. We never missed the noodles.
This is my favorite recipe I've made from your site. The flavors are amazing. It did turn out somewhat watery, even after blotting the zucchini and grilling it, but it's easy to leave the water in the pan when taking pieces out with a spatula.
The easiest way to get rid of extra water in vegetables, as used in most french cooking, is to generously salt the cut zucchini and let sit a half hour as the water comes out on its own. The same can be applied to eggplant and other squash.
I found this recipe going through the "Freezer Friendly Recipes" but noticed that there is no mention of freezing it. Should this be baked before being frozen or can it frozen first? Would it turn out soggy if frozen? Thanks!
Bake first, then freeze.
I made this on Sunday to make lunches for myself all week. I didnt change a thing except for adding a little crushed red pepper to the sauce and letting it simmer for about 3 hours instead of 45 minutes, and I substituted the beef for groud turkey. It was AMAZING. I only got about 3 lunches out of it because my family who originally snurled their noses up at the idea of Zucchini Lasagna, DEVOURED it. Another great recipe! You never fail me. I will be making this again & agian.
We had this for dinner tonight. WOW, was this good! It takes time to make, bit is so worth it! Thanks Gina…we are having fun trying all your recipes!
I made this for dinner last night, and my husband and I loved it. Since there are only 2 of us, now I have 3 more prepared meals for us in the freezer. Great flavor, and I didn't sense missing the pasta. A 90+ pound weightwatchers weight loss!
Val
What would you suggest instead of cheese for those who can't eat dairy? It sound delicious but I'm vegetarian and lactose intolerant. I'm planning on subbing the meat like you suggest, but is there anything to replace the cheese with. I'm not a big fan of the vegan soy cheeses, but it seems like it would need something to hold it together. Any input would be appreciated!
Could I prepare this the night before and refrigerate it?!
Can you make ahead and freeze
This was tasty! Next time, I'll be using more zucchini. It seemed like it was mostly cheese and meat. Despite grilling the zuchs first, it was still kind of watery. Just a few tweaks to make, but overall a very tasty recipe! My husband LOVED it!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was phenomenal!! I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef. Both my husband and I really enjoyed it….I'll be making this again!
This was a little bit of work for me b/c it was my first time making it but holy crap…my husband and I loved it! Totally worth it! It was soooooo good. It deserves an award. ; )
Yum! Just made this dish and it's great. I had to use 4 zucchini's but at this time of year all I could get was small ones. I think next time I won't add salt to the sause since the zuks are salted in the process of getting the moisture out. Thanks for this recipe. Skinnytaste is becoming my "go to" source for recipes.
At the beginning of the recipe you say to preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then when it's time to bake, you say bake at 375 degrees. Please let me know what temperature to bake this at..350 or 375. Thank you!
Wow i never noticed that before. …I do mine at 350 and it always comes out great.
She says above that it should read 375 but it'll work out in either case.
Gina- I love, love, love your website! This recipe was amazing! It was a bit more labor intensive for me because I made this at my daughter's and she didn't have a mandolin or grill pan but I was able to thinly slice the zucchini and broil it in the oven. In place of the ground beef I used 1/2 lb of 99% ground turkey and 4 oz of turkey sausage crumbles. To bulk it up for zero points I also added shredded carrots, fresh spinach and fresh mushrooms and a couple of teaspoons of Italian seasoning.. My daughter and her boyfriend raved about it! Best yet..the portion sizes are generous! Without a doubt, I will make it again! Now on to search your website for tonight's dinner! Thank you!
I just made this for dinner and it was the best lasagna I've ever had.
The flavor is great! Love this recipe!
Delicious – made it tonight and the whole family loved it. 3 year old wasn't sure about the green parts -but tricked him into eating some and he discovered he liked it. Thanks for another great recipe.
How do you cook eggplants as a replacement for the beef?
I made this for my meat and potatoes family tonight and they gobbled it up! Success!
I Made this tonight and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! So glad i read the comments as well…I cooked it at 375 uncovered for 40 minutes (the cheese was a little darker) but I loved it that way.
This was delicious!!! Thanks for your recipes!!
Made this over the weekend and realized half way through that the mozzarella I had was growing green fuzz so I left it out and added a little extra parmesan. It was still SOOO good! Thanks for the great recipe!
Would this freeze well? What would you suggest freeze before baking, or maybe portion freezing after it's baked? I have made this a few times and unfortunately my kids don't like it. I made one in a 9×9 brownie pan before but would love to be able to have a few pieces in the freezer that I can pop in the oven for me anytime.
I am wondering the same thing. What did you do?
I think it would freeze perfect after it's cooked.
I am so excited to bake this tomorrow. I sliced the zucchini very thinly and then grilled it on the stove top. I smells succulent as I grilled those after making the sauce. I put boiled chicken breast in the recipe in lieu of ground beef. I expect it will be delicious. I hope it fairs well over night in the fridge. Can't wait to bake & eat it for dinner tomorrow!
This recipe was DELICIOUS!!! Is it freezer friendly, if so how do you suggest to freeze?
I made this tonight and it was really good! I used no sugar added jar sauce instead of making my own. In a sauce pan I cooked some onions, garlic and added some red bell peppers, then added in the meat to brown. Then I added the jar of sauce to the meat/veggies. Also, I added a layer of wilted spinach between the layers of meat/sauce/cheese, to add some more veggies and volume (plus felt like I was going to run out of zucchini slices!). It was really good. Still a bit watery even after salting and broiling the spinach, but no biggie. Does this freeze well by any chance? Dont think I can eat it all before it will go bad! Thanks for the recipe
Holy Moly! I have mine sitting here cooling and all I wanna do is dig right in. my house smells so good and it looks so amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Tried this yesterday. It is sooo freakin' good 😀 I can't believe it! You don't even feel/taste a difference between the zuccini and regular lasagna noodles 🙂 It takes a lot of time though, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs – but it's totally worth it 🙂
Have made it twice now. Griilled the zucchini slices after sweating them. Used 5 medium zucchini, and about 30 slices for 3 layers. It is is a long recipe so if you plan well…grill your zucchinin in morning and keep dry on a paper towel after. Plan almost 2 hours to make sauce and baking time. It is soooooooooo worth it! Used ground veal 2nd time around. Maybe will try ground turkey 3rd time around!
Made it, ate it, LOVED it and passed on the recipe to friends! Thanks for the idea!
I made this last night and it turned out great! I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and the flavor was wonderful! Will definitely make again. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I made this last night – used homemade italian sausage we bought from a church fundraiser and skipped the ricotta – just used a little shredded mozzarella and goat cheese on top with some italian breadcrumbs – the zucchini was a great idea. Will definitely be a comfort food staple in our home!
Made this last night and my husband and I loved it! My son, however, picked out all the zucchini until I cut the slices up into small pieces and mixed it together with the sauce and cheese. At least he ate it!
Great dish. I used mushrooms,spinach and white beans,[beans in place of meat,for protien}with veggie cheeses for us vegatarians. Love having no pasta, but I have used Spag spuash in place of reg. pasta-gluten free gal as well. Try it. Hope you enjoy.
This recipe was fantastic. I didn't even miss the noodles, the grilled zucchini had such a similar texture that I never missed the noodles. I used turkey sausage since I had it on hand and wanted to shave some points. I'd love to try this on my die hard Italian family at the holidays or at least make 2 version since we always have homemade lasagna at Christmas! A keeper!
I used chicken sausage and it was delish! Mine also came out a little watery even after grilling the zucchini first but was still really tasty!
Made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! Love your recipes!
Hi Gina,
New to the site and so far sooooo good!! This is the 3rd recipe in 2 days and so far all have been excellent! Keep doing what your doing.. it works 🙂
This looks delicious. But, I have a question. What would you suggest to use instead of ground beef or turkey? I am a vegetarian. Thanks
I would use sauteed mushrooms and/or eggplant instead of the meat.
Someone above said lentils worked well too
Made it last night – my 10yr old son didn't even realize it was zucchini and I make lasagna often. It was a little watery so I think I might make zucchini the night before next time to really let it "dry out" a little more. My husband took a big piece of leftover for lunch, which he NEVER does…it was awesome and pretty much guiltless…YUM!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was absolutely AMAZING! My husband and I have decided that there is no need for noodles. Thank you so much for putting this amazing recipe on your website.
This was amazing! I didn't even miss the pasta. I had yellow zucchini squash on hand and used cottage cheese instead of the ricotta. My hubby and I LOVED it! I will make this again and again!!
This looks sooo good! With all the leftover zucchini from the garden this is just the recipe I need! However it has been just too rainy lately and doesn't seem to be clearing up anytime soon… ): Is there another option instead of grilling the zucchini? If so how? Thanks! (:
– Jessica
Broil it in the oven.
I've never been a fan of lasagne b/c I don't like ricotta cheese (or similar cheeses); however, I'd really like to try your recipe. Any suggestions for making this w/o the ricotta (or similar soft cheese)? Thanks!
WHIPPED Cottage Cheese. I've made this Zucchini Lasagna several times & the last time I tried it with the cottage cheese & couldn't tell the difference. But you need to make sure it's the whipped cottage cheese. My husband hates zucchini & always eats 2 servings of this dish even though he knows what it's made with.
I made it! Excluding the oil, and using lean ground turkey and Al Fredo Italian chicken sausage, and it was yummy!! I had no water in the sauce either, I salted and laid the zucchini on paper towels, 15 minutes later changed the paper towels for more, then 15 more I grilled them in my convection oven on broil. This was Awesome! 2 thumbs up.
Do you think I could split the recipe into 2 dishes and freeze one uncooked for another night? It is just myself and my boyfriend so we dont need all that food! I wonder if the zucchini would keep?
This looks amazing – could it be done with a bechamel sauce? We are going to test it out next week and have a few people who don't love tomato sauce.
Super yummy! My grocer had chicken sausages on sale, so I substituted sweet italian chicken sausage with basil for the beef. Pretty awesome. Also, I only bought 8 oz of mozz at the store for some reason so I substituted a little more parmesan in the mix. Again, still really good. I honestly didn't miss the other 8 oz of mozzarella.
One question…I made this before and after you tweaked it a bit. The new recipe says that you add the sauce only on the top but the pictures and your previous recipe had the sauce layered throughout. I made it last night with the sauce only on top and it's a bit dry (I rung the heck out of the zucchini). Was that an error?
This recipe was AWESOME!!
Ended up bringing it to work, and everyone was asking for recipe!!
mine is in the oven as we speak…. wondering… how in the world can you cut the zuchini as you suggest (& pics)? hoping my sloppy cutting doesn't make a difference. im still a newbie cook… and praying its good 😛
You need to use a slicing tool called a mandoline. There are numerous options available on amazon.com. Mandolines can be difficult to learn how to use but are indispensable once you figure them out.
Im making this tonight and it states to PREHEAT at 350 but then states to bake at 375…Im going to stick with the 350…Thanks for sharing! It does look delish!
I made this tonight for supper and hubby and I loved it! I broiled my zucchini, which was time consuming on my part. I shall be more prepared the next go round! I also added green bell peppers to the sauce and let the sauce simmer most of the day.
I have a ton of fresh tomatoes that need to be used up, could I use them in place of the canned tomatoes or do you suggest I stick with the canned?
As long as it's thick it will be fine, you don't want it too watery.
I used fresh tomatoes, and just added tomato paste and let it cook until it was the right consistency… basically just cooked my usual pasta sauce and used it instead.
this was delicious! i actually used zucchini, squash and carrots in mine. my husband and 3 year old loved it also. delish!
I am back !!! I moved it up to 375f as soon as I put it in the oven and it was fine. Amazing recipe…especially for my celiac friends! I am not on a diet…. But love all your simple, healthier version of recipes and so does my husband! He gave it an 11 on a 10. We BBQ the zucchini strips in the morning, after sprinkling them with salt step. Left them on a paper towel all afternoon before putting it all together. thanks for sharing!!! nancy in Ottawa !
Wonderful! I'm so glad to hear 🙂
Is there any other way to make thin slices? I had a debacle once with a mandolin and hate using it. Lets just say it involved stitches on my thumb 🙁
Remember to always keep your fingers ON TOP of the slicing device, or you will definitely lose parts of your finger tips.
Seriously one the best dishes I have made. My sister dropped by while we were eating and said she wouldn't eat it because it was too healthy. I told her just try it if you don't like it don't it, she loved it!!! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Is this gluten free. Im not allergic, just doing a gluten free fast and I was wondering if this is gluten free?
This looks delicious. It is impossible to get my husband to eat zucchini, but know he will eat this. I just discovered that most skinny taste recipes are in the My Fitness Pal database. My life just got so great…
Broiling the zucchini also works.
Thanks Gina, love the updates! I made a few substitutions – 1.5 lbs lean ground turkey instead of beef (have to include a lot of meat for my hubby who is a competitive power lifter!) and used fat-free cottage cheese instead of ricotta. The cottage cheese has slightly less calories and much more protein. If you can't get past the texture, you can throw it in a food processor or Magic Bullet to smooth out the consistency. I've also made this in the past using both zucchini and sliced eggplant for the "noodles" – prepared the same way – and it came out great!
Does anyone know why I cannot "reply" to a comment? Do I need to change my cookies or something? Thanks. PS — GINA this was fabulous! I too am going to try it with turkey sausage (I guess I will use less cheese then, or I imagine the points will go up…boo hoo
Could you use yellow squash for this?
Do you think this could be frozen into single serve portions *after* cooking?
For a long time I have wanted a mandoline but have been so confused when looking at them. Do you recommend the Oxo that you see when clicking on mandoline in your narrative? Is this the one you have and like? Thanks for your advice Gina. I love your recipes and have made many. Looking forward to your cookbook too.
That's the one I have and it works fine.
I made this and it came out so good!!!!! Thanks 🙂
Garfield would go crazy for this! 🙂 Also, Cosmo Radio on Sirius XM gave your blog a shout out this morning! They were doing their "Date Night, Done Right" ideas and one was cozying up at home with a tv show marathon and your famous macaroni and cheese.
I haven't seen your mac n cheese before, but now I want to check it out!
<3
Jenn
Oh that's so awesome!!
Is this *really* just as good as pasta lasagna? I am skeptical! But I like a lot of your other recipe so I think I'll have to be brave and try this!
Well it's zucchini so keep that in mind! But it's a really good way to enjoy zucchini!
Love this! I wonder if I can cut the zucchini strips that neatly though…
Buy a mandoline, it's easy.
Made this tonight. Didn't have fresh garlic so I seasoned my turkey meat with garlic powder (about 2tsp). Skipped the salt and basil. Also, I used the parmesan cheese that you would sprinkle on spaghetti, and a little more that 16 oz of mozzarella (love my cheese). Grilling the zucchini was a good idea. Didn't catch the 375.. so baked at 350 for the specified times. Turned out really good. Thanks for the great recipe!
This looks amazing and I am planning on making it. Do you think it would still be good if I prepared it ahead of time, froze it and then baked it when we are ready to eat?
Im just now learning to cook with zucchini so I am not sure how it holds up after freezing and then baking.
Thanks!
Just made this for dinner– delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
-Sandy
I loved it thanks Gina
How do you cut the zucchini so so thin and evenly lengthwise
Get a mandolin.
I've made this twice already. My husband who HATES Zucchini loved this & said he didn't even miss the pasta. When we crave italian this is the go to recipe. I use an 8 oz bag of shredded low sodium low fat mozzarella cheese instead of 16 oz & it's plenty for my husband who is a cheese freak. Puts cheese on everything. Thanks Gina for your website. Not a WW but I'm always looking for leaner tastier recipes.
This was incredible! I made this for the two guys that live with me. One of them typically refers to my low-fat filled fridge as the "nightmare refrigerator." They both loved it, and my nay-sayor said he may even prefer it over regular! Thank you, Gina!
Absolutely delicious! I made this last night. I only had an 8 oz pkg of the shredded cheese, but it was definitely enough. I also tried another persons suggestion of using 8 oz ground beef mixed with 8 oz grated carrot. The result was amazing and LESS POINTS….down to 6 pts I believe! My 15 yr old son tried a piece and said it was delicious, and that i should defintely make this again. I love how big a serving is!
Hi! I just started Weight Watchers (Pts Plus) last week. You have great recipes. Thank you for doing this! I am planning to make the Zucchini Lasagna. I plan on using 1/2 the amount of beef & adding the chopped carrots as suggested by another person. I read a reply you posted to someone where you state the entire dish is 51 points. You list it as 6 servings….that would make this dish 8.5 Pts per serving….is this correct? If I am correct, and i substitute half the beef for carrots, it will bring the pts plus value down to about 7 pts!
I made this tonight except I swapped out eggplant for the ground beef. I'm not a vegetarian but I loved it.
Another amazing recipe. Will definitely be a repeat!
I tried this recipe today, it's delish. Also, pretty dangerous because I feel I could eat the whole pan!
Wow – this recipe is fantastic! A little long on the prep work, but so so worth it! This will definitely become a regular of mine!
Katie, I know! It's a few extra steps but soo good!!
Wow… my husband, who doesn't like zucchini, said this is the best lasagna he's ever eaten! I sliced the zucchini with the mandoline, salted and blotted, then broiled. I also subbed turkey for beef and used reduced fat ricotta instead of fat free. My discriminating, meat-loving brother loved it, and said he might add crushed red pepper to the sauce to make it spicy. Thanks, Gina!
Thanks for sharing Kathryn, I love this too! That sounds like an easy solution.
Hi Gina. I think this my favourite recipe on your site! (And that's saying a lot. There are so many good ones.) I'm writing to say that I think I've found a good way to reduce the liquid. I froze enough zucchini slices for one lasagna recipe. When the zucchini was defrosted, a large amount of liquid came out. I squeezed the slices, and they held their shape really well. It is great if you have lots of zucchini in the summer and don't know what to do with it. I also prefer all the mozzarella on the top. Seems like more cheese then. More cheese is always good! 🙂 Thanks again for your wonderful recipes.
Do you think you could replace the zucchini with yellow squash? Or would that be weird? haha.
I tried this last night. YUMMY! I forgot to salt the zucchini first I think because I was in a little bit of a rush. I did broil it a bit, but I think it was still a bit runny. I"ll have to keep playing with it because we all liked it so much! Thanks for sharing it.
Great Araz, I'm sure it would freeze just fine!
I salted & sweated the zucchini first, then dried them with paper towels, then broiled them. Instead of 16oz of mozzarella I used a 200g package (just under 8oz), for a revised pointplus value of 8. And the result was… delicious. I have never been disappointed in your recipes, Gina! Looking forward to leftovers all week. How well would this freeze?
Cheers,
Araz
It's such a great low carb alternative to lasagna! Hope you broiled it rather than boiled it though! Grilling it would be great too now that it's warm!
This recipe was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I didn't look ahead like a smart person, so it ended up taking a lot longer than anticipated (even canceled going over to my brother's house for a party, its ok, I got to hang out with him the night before!) but it was COMPLETELY worth it!!! I took all of your advice, boiling the zucchini beforehand, salting/blotting them after slicing to cut down on the extra moisture and I must say it all worked like an absolute charm! I had no problems whatsoever with extra water in the dish! THANK YOU for sharing this! ~WOW~
This recipe is fantastic–don't even miss the noodles! The portions are huge too!
YUMMMMMMY!!! Thanks for clarifying the directions about the zuchini for me. That helped. I made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit with the family! You are right about the getting the water out of the zuchini but even though I still had a little that was in the bottom of the pan, it didn't matter once it was dished up on the plate. It was so tasty!! My family is already saying they can't wait until tomorrow for the leftovers. 🙂 THANKS Gina for giving us great recipes that still contain LOADS of flavor without all the empty calories/fat etc.
Hi Gina,
I love this recipe! I have found a reliable way to remove excess liquid from the zucchini strips. I slice them "thick" using my mandoline (about 1/8" thick) and then steam them in a double boiler for 8-10 minutes, depending on the water content. I try to time it so that they don't fall apart, so that they can be easily layered into the lasagna. The excess liquid drips into the bottom of the double boiler, and that's it! It also has the added bonus of requiring no oil, as a grill pan might. Thanks a million for your delicious recipes using "real" food! Your site has helped me to reach 10% loss, which I achieved two days after Christmas, believe it or not! Thanks again!
I think sauteed chopped eggplant would be a great replacement!
this looks delicious! does anyone have any ideas on a vegetarian friendly substitute for the beef?
I LOVE that you added fennel to this, I will try this next time I make it. Thanks for sharing!
made this the other night, very good recipe. I think I like it better than Eggplant Parmesan too. I used 1.25 lb. of 93% lean ground turkey, next time I will add 1-2 links of spicy turkey sausage. Used a 26oz. jar of Safeway Select Garlic Basil pasta sauce which only has 6g of carbs. per serving and has whole cloves of garlic in it. Also, I did broil a large zucchini, sliced, and that did help with excess moisture. Could have used a little more spice, even though I did use garlic powder and ground fennel.Will add whole fennel next time. Very moist and creamy. will have leftovers tonite.
With all my beef recipes I used only half a pound of beef and substitute the other half with grated carrots. When they cook together the carrots take on the taste and consistency of the beef and it halves the calories. I do this for meatloaf, hamburger patties and anything else I use beef for.
How many points would I save if I did this for this recipe? Also when you say lean beef is 93% lean ok? That's about the leanest I can ind in the Commissary here on base .
Love your suggestion of grated carrots @Rachel! Thanks
This reminds me of another trick I live by: while I'm not a big fan of spiralized zucchini on their own, I find that when I mix them with a smallish portion of spaghetti (I add the zucchini on the last minute of the pasta cooking time) for some reason they become very similar in texture and flavour!
Depending on which ground turkey you use. The 99% lean would lower the points slightly.
Hi Gina – LOVE your site!!! You have helped me stay on track with WW with your awesome recipes! Question.. If you substitute ground turkey for ground beef does it lower the points? Thanks from a huge (getting smaller) fan!
This is sooooooo good!!! I've made it 5 times now…my husband and kids love it. 🙂 I make it with ground turkey instead of beef and it's delicious 🙂 🙂 🙂
YUM!!! Made this last night and it was delicious!
Sure! Less points too!!
This looks so good! I wonder if I could make it without the beef, as my husband is a vegetarian?
I bet it would be great with lentils! In my experience they substitute very well for ground meats.
You can skip the meat, and only use zucchini/eggplant + cheese + tomato sauce with garlic and onion 🙂
Im trying it tonight with reconstituted TVP granules and mushrooms, should be excellent!
I just made it with Morningstar soy crumbles, carnivorous boyfriend loved it! (I am the veg)
Yesss! I make veggie lasagna all the time. In fact, my non-vegetarian family prefers it over regular lasagna! Portabello mushrooms make it very hearty so the meat isn't missed at all.
I always make this dish meat-free and it is great! I mix in some defrosted frozen spinach into the ricotta mix to give it a bit more umph and it's awesome!
Sure I think that should work fine. Or, low fat ricotta if you can find that.
Hi Gina, relative newbie to your site, and I'm a big fan.
Question: I live in Ireland, and sadly there's no such thing here as fat-free ricotta 🙁
How bout I used some cottage cheese after blitzing it a little to smooth the texture. Would that work?
This is probably a post you may not follow anymore, but I learned by accident that if you FREEZE the cottage cheese and then thaw out, it turns into a very ricotta-like consistency. I have done this with low-fat, you should try it out with non-fat. Perhaps use a strainer to drain any excess liquid by letting it sit for a while. I didn't have this problem with low-fat though.
The entire dish is a total of 51 points, so it depends on how many servings you got if you used the same amount of ingredients.
I used a 10" x 14" pan–How many points would this be for a serving and how big is the serving? My partner loves this but is concerned about having too big of a portion–he measured about 2-2/3 cups for one serving. How many points would this be?
I agree, after making this several times, I find it best to grill or broil the zucchini first so you don't get all the liquid. This is better than eggplant parmesan in my opinion!!
I wonder if you could use Eggplant for this as well
I'm sure you could. Eggplant would have less liquid so you may not have to worry about that as much.
Sure you can, in Italy it's called "Parmigiana" (with the final A, not with the O of the cheese 😉 ). You can use the same steps, salt, grill and then put together the ingredients!
yes!
Absolutely! Would be very similar to eggplant parmaseana
Yes. It would be like Eggplant Parmesan or something similar.
You still have to salt the eggplant because it does have just as much water in it. Just blot it dry and grill the same. I make a very similar one all the time.
This was sooo delicious! The family – yes even the kids, loved it!!!
Thanks so much for sharing!