- Slice your zucchini into thinner slices: thinner slices mean less zucchini, thus less water.
- Salt your zucchini and let it sit for 15 minutes: salt draws the water out of the zucchini. …
- Grill it to reduce the moisture: grill the zucchini for 1-2 minutes on each side.
This ketogenic zucchini lasagna recipe is a fantastic low-carb substitute for the classic pasta version. All the ingredients for this kid-friendly meal are healthy zucchini, lean ground beef, hearty marinara sauce, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Once you learn how to prepare this dish, it might end up becoming your new go-to meal!
With layers of ricotta and mozzarella cheese, a hearty tomato-based meat sauce, and a ton of Italian seasonings
But have you ever considered the fact that the pasta doesn’t have very much flavor at all?
Your taste buds will actually believe they are eating the traditional lasagna when they are actually eating a zucchini lasagna!
No matter how many times you’ve attempted to make one or how many horror stories you’ve heard, most recipes result in a soggy mound of food that barely resembles lasagna.
After many iterations of recipe testing, I’ve discovered a few key strategies to keep your dish from becoming overly liquidy. I’ll go over each of them in more detail below.
(And look at these Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups for an even fancier presentation with the same flavors.)
Cut each one lengthwise using a very sharp knife after that. Get about 4-5 slices that are roughly 14 inch thick. They become too mushy during baking if you slice them much thinner than this.
Use a vegetable peeler sparingly because the vegetables won’t hold their shape. Make sure the mandolin is set to thick if you’re using one.
Allow it to sit for 20 to 30 minutes, then observe the transformation. The salt will remove the zucchini’s moisture, which you can then wipe off with paper towels.
To ensure that you remove as much as possible, try to do this at least once every 5 to 10 minutes.
It’s time to begin preparing the ground meat and tomato sauce while the zucchini strips are cooling.
Over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a sizable skillet. Add 1 cup of finely diced sweet onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion becomes tender.
Move the onion and garlic to the pan’s side. Add 1 pound of ground meat. Keep in mind that the sauce will contain less liquid the lower the fat content is.
Cook the meat for 7-8 minutes, or until it is thoroughly done and no longer pink. Drain off any excess liquid, if needed. Mash the meat with a potato masher to create fine crumbles.
either a 16 oz. or 2 cups of marinara sauce jar, along with some nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. This spice, which I keep to myself, will give the sauce a lovely depth of flavor despite being so subtly flavorful.
It’s crucial to let the sauce simmer for a sufficient amount of time to cook off any excess liquid. Otherwise, the lasagna will be watery.
Combine the ricotta cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Use a fork to thoroughly stir everything together.
Layer half of the zucchini slices on top of the meat sauce that has been spooned onto the pan’s bottom. It’s ok if a few of them overlap.
Slices are covered with half of the ricotta mixture, followed by half of the meat sauce.
Repeat the layers one more time. Zucchini slices, ricotta cheese, and ending with the meat sauce.
For 35 to 40 minutes, bake the zucchini noodle lasagna, uncovered, in a 375°F oven. When the cheese is lightly golden and the vegetables are tender, the dish is finished.
Before cutting into it, make sure to let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes. After cooling slightly, the layers will hold their shape better.
The recipe you’ll find below is already low-carb as written. You can make the following modifications and substitutions to make it meet your other dietary needs:
Make sure to salt the zucchini noodles before baking. After about 20 minutes of rest, wipe away any excess moisture.
To cut the zucchini, a sharp knife is recommended. Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler might result in too-thin pieces, which would make the lasagna watery.
For traditional lasagna, the noodles are cooked covered to prevent drying out. But because zucchini noodles have so much moisture, it’s best to bake the dish uncovered.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ZUCCHINI LASAGNA?
Since this recipe for zucchini lasagna is the star, it really only needs a straightforward green salad and garlic bread, but we also enjoy serving it with:
PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER
In zucchini lasagna, the lasagna noodles are replaced with thinly sliced zucchini “noodles.” Yes, zucchini. I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical the first time I made this lasagna recipe, and my husband even more so. But OH MY YUM it is incredible! We both couldn’t put our forks down. I guarantee it’s SO good, even zucchini haters – including zucchini hating kids – will love this recipe!
Your cravings for indulgent, cozy, hearty Italian comfort food will be completely satisfied by this recipe for zucchini lasagna, which still comes out incredibly comforting. It has the classic texture of lasagna with perfectly cooked, thinly sliced zucchini noodles and the rich, unbelievably flavorful Bolognese sauce.
With garden-fresh zucchini and an abundance of herbs, this zucchini lasagna is ideal for the summer, but you’ll also love making it in the winter when you’re craving something warm, hearty, and gluten-free. To that end, I’ve provided instructions on how to prepare this zucchini lasagna using both fresh and dried herbs.
Compared to white lasagna soup or lasagna soup, this zucchini lasagna requires more time, but it is SO worth it. This recipe for zucchini lasagna has never left me feeling bad. Instead, it’s a labor of love that, thanks to its incredibly satisfying layers of hot, cheesy, and meaty perfection, pays me back tenfold. Just a few more explanations for why I adore zucchini lasagna:
WHAT MAKES THIS THE BEST ZUCCHINI LASAGNA RECIPE?
I can promise you right now that if you’ve ever made zucchini lasagna and your noodles were soggy, your lasagna was watery, your ricotta was grainy, or your sauce was bland, you won’t experience those issues with this recipe!
I experimented to make the best-tasting zucchini noodles and, most importantly, a casserole that was saucy but not watery using the tips and tricks from my traditional lasagna recipe, which has received hundreds of positive reviews. What makes this the best zucchini lasagna recipe, in my opinion, is as follows:
FAQ
How do you keep vegetable lasagna from being watery?
Our best recommendation is to use a colander to drain and rinse the cooked noodles. Once the majority of the water has evaporated, carefully dry each noodle by placing it on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, dabbing it with a paper towel, and allowing it to air dry.
How do you keep lasagna from getting wet?
- “Always use the no-boil noodles. They won’t get soggy and will absorb extra liquid.
- Making the lasagna early in the day or the day before and letting it cool completely before gently reheating it
- “Last but not least, be patient!
How do you cut zucchini noodles for lasagna?
Overcooking the noodles Let’s face it: When assembling the traditional Italian dish, overcooking the lasagna noodles is probably the most common error. The objective is to avoid undercooked noodles even though you don’t want mushy noodles.
