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!
Zucchini lasagna is very popular in the summer, but if you can get fresh zucchini, you can make it any time of the year. This meat and zucchini lasagna was inspired by my Make-ahead Lasagna and pairs well with Spinach Pecan Strawberry Salad, and my Baguette Garlic Bread, or these Bread Machine Italian Breadsticks.
🍒Reader Review
"Got a chance to try this and wow, knocked it out of the park. The zucchini made a great substitute for the noodles and the cottage cheese spinach gave it a wonderful taste. All in all a great tasting and healthy lasagna!!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jump to:
- 🍒Reader Review
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🥘Ingredients
- 📖 Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪How to Make Healthy Ground Beef Zucchini Lasagna
- Equipment
- 🌡️Storage & Freezing
- 🔢WW Points
- Top tip: what to do with leftover zucchini:
- ❔FAQ's about Zucchini Lasagna
- 🥗 Pairing
- 📋Ground Beef Zucchini Lasagna recipe
- More Zucchini recipes
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Low carb. Zucchini is cut into strips, replacing the noodles in this lasagna. Regular lasagna noodles have 39g of carbs per serving and zucchini lasagna noodles have 3g of carbs per serving!
- Tastes like regular lasagna! Because it tastes like regular lasagna, it's the ideal vehicle for hidden vegetables for kids or anyone who doesn't love veggies.
- Make-ahead.This lasagna is great for making ahead.
- Uses lots of zucchini. This recipe uses 4 medium zucchinis!
Aside from Zucchini Boats, savory zucchini recipes aren't easy to find. If you're looking for more savory zucchini recipes, check out my Shredded Zucchini and Feta Sauté! It's an incredibly delicious side dish, using shredded zucchini and only a handful of other ingredients. My Zucchini Potato Soup makes a great main, appetizer, or side and my Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Pizza appetizer is also a quick and easy way to use zucchini.
🥘Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients for this Meat and Zucchini Lasagna recipe:
- 2 large zucchini or (3-4 medium) - Medium zucchinis are best for slicing. When they get too big, they become tougher and are better for shredding. Zucchini makes a great low-carb noodle substitute, as it is low in saturated fat and sodium, and very low in cholesterol, as well as being a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, thiamine, Niacin, Phosphorus, and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, and Manganese.
- 21 oz jar of pasta sauce - you can make your own pasta sauce, but this saves time and ingredients. I use any kind, but you can use your favorite. *Classico Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce is the lowest ww points (1 point per ½ cup)
- 2 lbs pounds lean ground beef - make sure it's lean or extra lean or the lasagna gets too greasy.
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning- this saves you having to add a bunch of herbs and spices - I always keep it on hand!
- ¾ cup low-fat/light cottage cheese -I use cottage cheese in my lasagna because it has about ½ the calories and ⅔ less fat than ricotta cheese. I also like the texture better - ricotta is too smooth and to me, it feels like you're eating cream cheese in your lasagna.
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced - fresh garlic is a deal breaker!
- 2 ½ cups fresh baby spinach - using fresh spinach makes for a fresher-tasting lasagna and the baby spinach is easier to cut through once cooked because the pieces are smaller.
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded - (400 g package)
- 1.5 cups light parmesan cheese
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 -8 oz package of sliced fresh mushrooms
- Garnish: fresh basil and more parmesan cheese (optional) -fresh basil gives it that "something extra special" - I highly recommend it!
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Cottage cheese- You can use regular, low-fat or fat-free. You could also substitute dry cottage cheese (Farmer's) or ricotta.
- Spinach - I use baby spinach but you could use regular spinach or frozen spinach. If you use frozen spinach, you'll need to defrost it and really squeeze out all the excess moisture!
- Spicy - use ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes in the meat sauce to spice it up!
- Ground Meat - you could swap the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken to lighten it up
- Italian Seasoning - you could use fresh herbs instead, but you'll need to double the amount
- Pasta sauce - you could make a homemade sauce with tomato sauce and tomato paste and dried or fresh herbs instead
- Mushrooms - you can use canned mushrooms, but fresh are superior
- Gluten-free - make sure your pasta sauce is gluten-free, as many contain gluten
🔪How to Make Healthy Ground Beef Zucchini Lasagna
PREP: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 1: Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut the zucchinis lengthwise (into thin strips), about ⅛ 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
*OPTIONAL: 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.
*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 big issue.
Alternatively, you can bake your lasagna noodles to draw out moisture. Place the noodles on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 375F. Then pat dry when they’re removed from the oven.
Step 2: 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)
Step 3: Cook mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of water for 3 minutes in microwave. Drain. *It is necessary to do this, as mushrooms release a lot of water and it will make the lasagna excessively watery!
Step 4: Add the mushrooms, pasta sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic to the ground beef.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 5: 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)
Step 6: Add half the meat sauce to the bottom of the prepared lasagna pan.
Step 7: Then place zucchini strips in a single 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).
Step 8: Next, spread the spinach and cheese mixture evenly over the zucchini, ensuring it covers the slices completely.
Step 9: Add another layer of zucchini slices in a single layer, slightly overlapping, over the spinach cheese mixture. Be sure to cover any bare spots on the top or bottom, with zucchini pieces.
Step 10: Add the remaining meat sauce on top of the 2nd layer of zucchini and spread as evenly as possible.
Step 11: Tightly cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (shiny side in to reflect the heat) sealing the edges, and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
Step 12: 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 golden brown. *You need to watch it very carefully so it doesn't burn.
Step 13: Allow the lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Step 14: Garnish with fresh basil and additional parmesan cheese.
Equipment
I recommend using a good quality Mandoline for this easy zucchini lasagna recipe. I used a not-so-good quality one (a quick impulse buy) and it spurred me into buying a new one! I recommend this Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Adjustable Mandoline Vegetable Slicer (affiliate link).
It is highly rated by Good Housekeeping Expert reviews for both function and value! But you'll want to use it with cutting gloves (affiliate link) for extra layer of safety (mandoline's are super sharp and it's easy to lose a finger!)
🌡️Storage & Freezing
Store this zucchini in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You can freeze it for up to 3 months in a sealed container.
TO REHEAT (from frozen):
I love using this casserole reheating technique for any casserole- it prevents the casserole from drying out.
- Simply take lasagna out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost (preferably in the fridge). Ideally, you want to keep it at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour before you put it in the oven.
- Then heat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C, remove the lid and plastic wrap, then tightly seal your casserole dish with aluminum foil (shiny side in) and put it in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, until it's warmed through. *you can remove the foil and broil it for the final 2 minutes if you desire.
🔢WW Points
Zucchini noodles are 0 points, so this recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 7 WW points per slice.
Lighten it up even more: You can lighten it up even further by using extra lean ground beef, fat-free cottage cheese and fat-free parmesan cheese. This will bring the points down to 5 ww points!
You could also use ground turkey instead of ground beef to further lighten up this recipe.
** Classico Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce is the lowest ww points (1 point per ½ cup)
❔FAQ's about Zucchini Lasagna
If your lasagna contains vegetables that release moisture, that will cause it to be watery. This is why I pre-cook and drain the mushrooms. Using thin lasagna zucchini noodles is also important (see next question below), but you can also salt your zucchini first (with kosher salt- it's easier to wipe off) and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to draw out moisture, then pat dry, removing as much salt as you can. Lastly, you can pre-cook/bake your lasagna noodles to draw out moisture Place the noodles on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 375F. Then pat dry with paper towel when they’re removed from the oven.
You can also drain your cottage cheese before mixing or use dry cottage cheese.
Zucchini noodles should be sliced thin (⅛ inch) which is more noodle-like than thicker (¼ inch) zucchini strips. And because they are thin, they release less water, thereby avoiding watery zucchini.
🥗 Pairing
These are my favorite sides to serve with Ground Beef Zucchini Lasagna:
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📋Ground Beef Zucchini Lasagna recipe
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
Instructions
- Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut the zucchinis lengthwise (into thin strips), about ⅛ 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
- 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)
- 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.
- 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)
- Add half the meat sauce to the bottom of the prepared 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)
- Next, spread the spinach and cheese mixture evenly over the zucchini, ensuring it covers the slices completely.
- 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.
- Add the remaining meat sauce on top of the 2nd layer of zucchini and spread as evenly as possible.
- 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.
- 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.
- Allow the lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish (optional) with fresh basil and additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
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Mich
Looks superb - can't wait to make this lasagne! Thank you for this recipe.
Mike Lafleur
Got a chance to try this and wow, knocked it out of the park. The zucchini made a great substitute for the noodles and the cottage cheese spinach gave it a wonderful taste. All in all a great tasting and healthy lasagna.
Terri Gilson
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Mike! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Terri
Moinque Castonguay
I didn't even notice that there were no noodles! This was delicious.
Terri Gilson
I'm so glad you loved it, Monique!