Zucchini Lasagna

5 from 3 votes

This zucchini lasagna recipe uses zucchini slices instead of traditional noodles to create a low-carb, gluten-free, and delicious lasagna!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Amercian, Italian

Total Cost: $18.43 recipe / $1.84 serving

Servings: servings

Author: Jess Rice

Ingredients

Sauce Ingredients

24 oz. jar tomato sauce $3.22*
2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.18
½ lb ground Italian sausage $1.93

Zucchini Prep

4-5 zucchini large, $4.08**
1 tsp sea salt $0.01
½ tsp garlic powder $0.05
cooking oil spray $0.05***

Cheese Layer

32 oz whole milk ricotta cheese liquid drained off top, $5.84
2 cups mozzarella shredded, $1.97
3 garlic cloves minced, $0.12
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning $0.20
2 large eggs $0.74
½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.01
1 tsp sea salt $0.03

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Cut zucchini into long ⅕ inch thick planks using a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife, reserving any slightly thicker slices for the bottom layer of your lasagna.
Sprinkle each zucchini plank with salt and let them sit for 10 minutes to release water while you prepare the cheese layer.
To prepare cheese layer, combine ricotta, shredded mozzarella, minced garlic, Italian herb seasoning, eggs, black pepper, and 1 tsp sea salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. (If you have a small food processor, you can do this step in batches and mix everything together well by hand before spreading.)
Dab zucchini slices dry with a clean cloth or paper towels. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets (I used 2) and lightly mist zucchini with oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to help dehydrate them slightly. (This is an important step if you don’t want extra juicy lasagna!)
Remove zucchini from oven and set aside.
In a large skillet, break apart ground Italian sausage with a spatula and cook until browned. (I did not have any extra oil in my pan, but if you do, you’ll want to strain it off.)
Add jarred sauce and tomato paste to the browned Italian sausage and stir together to combine. The tomato paste helps thicken the sauce, which is very important for this recipe if you want to avoid a watery lasagna.
Spoon a few spoonfuls of the finished sauce into the 9x13” baking dish and spread around to cover the bottom. On top of the sauce, begin adding layers of zucchini, overlapping strips halfway to form a barrier to keep layers separate (just as you would with noodles!)
Then, add a layer of cheese mixture, another layer of zucchini, another layer of cheese, and a layer of sauce—repeating this order until your lasagna pan is full. Sprinkle more cheese on top, if desired.****
Bake for 35-40 minutes, broiling for 3 min at the very end to lightly brown the cheese on top. Let your lasagna cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh parsley or basil if you have some on hand. Enjoy!

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Notes

*Use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce, or try our easy marinara if you prefer homemade.

**Choose zucchini that are straighter and have nice, firm skin. The skin is edible, so there's no need to peel it. The zucchini you often find in the grocery store is typically smaller, so make sure you have enough to slice and layer. I usually pick up 5-6 and will happily grill any leftover. After slicing, layer thicker slices of zucchini on the bottom. This will give the lasagna a sturdy base that helps everything stay together when it comes time to slice and serve.

***If you don’t have cooking oil spray, you can lightly brush each plank with about 1 tsp oil. They don’t need to be drenched since we are just baking them for the purpose of dehydration.

****I saved most of the sauce for the final layer on top instead of adding layers of sauce throughout. And instead of drenching the lasagna as it cooks, I also saved some sauce on the side for serving. I find this helps ensure that the zucchini lasagna is not watery or falling apart when it comes time to serve. I didn’t want to waste the extra cheese I had, so I added dollops on the top layer with dollops of sauce. It came out perfect and nothing went to waste!

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