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a slice of Zucchini Ground beef lasagna on a white plate with salad and a fork
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5 from 2 votes

📋Ground Beef Zucchini Lasagna recipe

This Zucchini Ground Beef Lasagna is healthy, low-carb, and delicious! With layers of meat sauce, zucchini, and a creamy cottage cheese spinach and cheese filling, topped with mozzarella, this recipe tastes like traditional lasagna, making it a great way to hide veggies for picky eaters!
Course dinner, main
Cuisine Italian
Keyword lasagna, meat lasagna, zucchini
Special Diet weight watchers
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 244kcal
Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 medium zucchinis or 2 large sliced thinly lengthwise
  • 21 oz * pasta sauce (or 640 ml or about 2 ¾ cups)
  • 2 lbs lean ground lean
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 ½ cups fresh spinach
  • 2 cups partly skimmed mozzarella cheese, shredded (about a 400 g package or about 2 cups)
  • 1.5 cups reduced-fat parmesan cheese
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1.5 cups sliced mushrooms (227 g package)

Garnish (optional)

  • fresh basil leaves
  • additional parmesan cheese
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

NOTE: The instruction images will NOT print by default. If you want them to print, you'll need to check the box beside "images" on the print page

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut the zucchinis lengthwise (into thin strips), about â…› inch or 3 mm thick.
    However, it's really hard to get uniform thickness with a knife. I highly recommend a mandoline.
    *See Video: How to cut zucchini with mandoline - skip to 0:53
    zucchini being sliced on a mandolin and zucchini slices in a plastic container
  • Optional: To reduce the moisture in the reicpe: * Lay the slices on paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt to help draw out moisture. Let them sit for about 10 minutes, then pat dry with additional paper towels.
    *I didn't do this because I'm reducing salt in my diet, and I don't mind if it's a little watery
  • Brown ground beef and onion in large pot or a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat until the internal temperature of the ground beef reaches 165 degrees F (74 degrees C)
    browned ground beef and onions in a skillet
  • Cook mushrooms in 1 tablespoon water for 3 minutes in microwave and drain.
  • Add the mushrooms, pasta sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic to the ground beef.
    Simmer for 15 minutes.
    cooked meat sauce (ground beef, onion, pasta sauce, mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning) in a skillet
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and spinach. Mix until well combined.
    *You can also drain the cottage cheese to cut down on the moisture (or use dry cottage cheese)
    spinach, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese mixed together in a glass bowl with a marbled silicone spoon and zucchini in the background
  • Add half the meat sauce to the bottom of the prepared lasagna pan.
    meat sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan
  • Then place zucchini slices in an even layer over the sauce, overlapping a little. If you have any areas on the top or bottom that aren't covered with zucchini, add additional slices (as in photo)
    zucchini slices on top of meat layer in lasagna pan
  • Next, spread the spinach and cheese mixture evenly over the zucchini, ensuring it covers the slices completely.
    spinach and cheese mixture spread over first layer of zucchini "noodles" (slices)
  • Add another layer of zucchini slices, slightly overlapping, over the spinach cheese mixture. Be sure to cover any bare spots on the top or bottom, with zucchini pieces.
    2nd layer of zucchini strips placed over the spinach cheese mixture in lasagna pan
  • Add the remaining meat sauce on top of the 2nd layer of zucchini and spread as evenly as possible.
    final layer of meat sauce spread over the zucchini is lasagna pan
  • Tightly cover the baking dish with foil (shiny side in to reflect the heat) sealing the edges, and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
    lasagna pan tightly covered with foil
  • Remove the lasagna from the oven and discard the foil.
    Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and a fork goes easily through the zucchini.
    Turn up the oven to broil - 500 degrees F (260 degrees C)- for 1-2 minutes until cheese bubbles and lasagna is lightly browned. *You need to watch it very carefully so it doesn't burn.
    Shredded Mozzarella cheese sprinkled over lasagna in the pan
  • Allow the lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish (optional) with fresh basil and additional parmesan cheese.
    lasagna garnished with basil and parmesan cheese

Notes

*OPTIONAL:  To reduce the moisture from the zucchini in the recipe:
* Lay the slices on paper towels and sprinkle with a little Kosher salt to help draw out moisture. Let them sit for about 10 minutes, then pat dry with additional paper towels (this will remove some of the salt as well).
**I didn't do this because I'm reducing salt in my diet, it was an extra step I was too lazy to do, and I don't mind if it's a little watery! You can drain off any excess moisture. And if you're slicing the noodles thin enough, and pre-cooking the mushrooms, it shouldn't be a problem.
**Alternatively, you can bake your lasagna noodles in advance to draw out moisture. Place the noodles on trays lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 375F. Then pat dry when they’re removed from the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 714mg | Potassium: 761mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1051IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 4mg