Zucchini Lasagna with Lean Ground Beef
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A healthier short-cut low-carb zucchini lasagna recipe made with sliced zucchini, lean ground beef, premade marinara sauce, a blend of cheeses, and fresh basil. So good you won’t miss the pasta! This high-protein lasagna packs 33 grams of protein per serving for only 353 calories.
One meal that always has my family running to the table is a comforting dish, like lasagna. You know me, I have to put a healthy twist on it to boost the nutrition in the recipe, so I made this healthier zucchini lasagna with lean beef. I made a Meaty Pesto and Tomato Lasagna variation a few years ago that was a big hit. If you are looking for a traditional pasta version, definitely give it a go. I love this low-carb variation because it’s packed with veggies and makes an easy one-dish meal.
This month, members of the Recipe ReDux group are sharing family favorite recipes with a healthy twist. I wanted to whip up a grain-free version made with zucchini, that still had all of the classic lasagna flavors. You guys know how much I love zucchini. We eat this beef bolognese zucchini spaghetti on repeat!
This was a fun and easy redo that everyone loved. I hope you’ll be inspired to gather everyone around your family table as the busy school year begins. Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated to be healthy and delicious.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Zucchini squash– you’ll need a couple of medium-large zucchini squash.
- Ground beef– I go with 93% lean.
- Marinara sauce– I look for one that’s low in sugar and thick, so it doesn’t water down the lasagna. Brands like Rao’s, Mezzetta, and Newman’s Own are good options that I’ve used.
- Ricotta cheese– I use low-fat to cut the calories and fat a bit.
- Olive oil– go with a good quality extra-virgin olive oil.
- Egg– you’ll need a large whole egg to bind the cheese mixture.
- Aromatics– you’ll need a small onion and a couple of cloves of garlic.
- Shredded cheese– this recipe uses a 5-cheese Italian blend and parmesan.
- Fresh basil– for incredible flavor.
- Seasoning blend– salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning blend (I use McCormick’s)
How To Make Lasagna with Zucchini
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse the zucchini and pat dry. Slice zucchini in strips, lengthwise, about 1/8 “- 1/4” thick. If you have a mandoline slicer, it’s great for this.
- Dice onions and mince the garlic. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add ground beef and garlic to the skillet and cook until the ground beef crumbles and is cooked through. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, and fresh basil and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup shredded cheese blend, 1/2 cup parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- At the bottom of a deep-dish baking dish (2.5- qt), spread 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce mixture. Top with 5-6 slices of zucchini.
- Then, top with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the marinara beef mixture. Add another layer of zucchini and repeat with the remaining ingredients for 2 more layers. Top with the remaining Italian and Parmesan cheeses.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, covered. the foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes, until the cheese is lightly golden. Let the lasagna stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Optional: Salting the zucchini
If your zucchini is larger, very watery, or you’re slicing thicker than 1/4″, you can salt the slices before assembling. Lay the slices on paper towels or a wire rack, sprinkle both sides lightly with salt, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Blot dry with paper towels before layering. This step isn’t necessary with thinner slices (1/8″-1/4″) prepared as directed above, but it can help if you want extra insurance against excess moisture. - Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and tent over the lasagna pan; this prevents the cheese from getting too brown. Tenting the foil and spraying with oil keeps the cheese from sticking to the foil while it bakes.
- This lasagna is even better the second day, after all the flavors have mingled and the casserole has set overnight. Not to mention, it’s much easier to slice after it’s been chilled. I like to bake it a day ahead, cover and chill overnight, then slice it into 6-8 servings and reheat the individual slices.
- If you want the cheese a little more golden brown, you can finish it under the broiler for 1-3 minutes, until it’s golden and slightly crispy. Make sure it’s on the middle rack and watch closely so it doesn’t burn!
- Depending on how large your squash are, you may have some slices leftover. I just saute them or use them for other recipes, like these tasty air fryer zucchini fries.
FAQ
No, salting isn’t mandatory. Slicing the zucchini thin (about 1/8″–1/4″) and patting the slices dry after rinsing keeps excess moisture to a minimum from the start. Baking covered, then finishing uncovered, allows any remaining moisture to cook off in the oven instead of pooling in the dish — and letting the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing gives it time to set. If you’re using very large or watery zucchini or cutting thicker than 1/4″, you can salt and blot the slices beforehand.
No peeling needed. The skin holds the slices together as they bake and softens fully during the 40-minute covered bake, so there’s no need to remove it.
Yes. Assemble the lasagna completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the covered bake time since it’ll be starting cold.
Yes, either swaps in easily 1:1 for the ground beef in step 1 — cook the same way until browned through, then drain and add to the sauce.
Store covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or cover with foil and warm in a 350°F oven for about 15-20 minutes to keep the layers from drying out. For meal prep, I like to bake it a day ahead, let it cool completely, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. For easy slicing, I slice it the next day while it’s cold and reheat the slices individually.
Yes, though zucchini has a higher water content than pasta noodles, so the texture is best freshly baked. Be sure to use it within 2-3 months. Freeze in an airtight container after baking, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating or baking as directed.
Healthier Zucchini Lasagna
Equipment
- 2.5 qt deep dish baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large zucchini
- 1 small onion , about 1 cup diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce *use a good, thick sauce so your dish isn't runny- Rao's, Mezzetta, and Newman's Own are good options
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend , such as McCormick's
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1-2 tbsp fresh basil , rinsed and chopped fine
- 16 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 whole egg
- 2 cups shredded 5 cheese Italian cheese blend , or mozzarella
- 1 cup parmesean cheese , shredded
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Rinse zucchini, pat dry and slice lengthwise into strips about ⅛"-¼" thick. A mandoline slicer is great for this.
- Dice onion and mince garlic.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion, sauté for 1-2 minutes
- Add ground beef and garlic to skillet and cook until meat crumbles and is cooked through. Drain.
- Stir in pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes and fresh basil and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup shredded cheese blend, ½ cup parmesan, salt and pepper.
- At the bottom of a deep-dish baking dish (2.5 qt), spread ¼ cup of the pasta sauce mixture.
- Top with 5-6 slices of zucchini.
- Then, top with ⅓ of the ricotta mixture and ⅓ of the marinara beef mixture.
- Add another layer of zucchini and repeat with the remaining ingredients for 2 more layers.
- Finish with the remaining Italian cheese blend and parmesan cheese.
- Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and tent the foil on top of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, covered.
- Remove the foil and bake 5-10 minutes more until cheese is lightly golden.
- Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8.
Notes
- Optional: Salting the zucchini. If your zucchini is larger, very watery, or you’re slicing thicker than 1/4″, you can salt the slices before assembling. Lay the slices on paper towels or a wire rack, sprinkle both sides lightly with salt, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Blot dry with paper towels before layering. This step isn’t necessary with thinner slices (1/8″-1/4″) prepared as directed above, but it can help if you want extra insurance against excess moisture.
- Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and tent over the lasagna pan; this prevents the cheese from getting too brown. Tenting the foil and spraying with oil keeps the cheese from sticking to the foil while it bakes.
- This lasagna is even better the second day, after all the flavors have mingled and the casserole has set overnight. Not to mention, it’s much easier to slice after it’s been chilled. I like to bake it a day ahead, cover and chill overnight, then slice it into 6-8 servings and reheat the individual slices.
- If you want the cheese a little more golden brown, you can finish it under the broiler for 1-3 minutes, until it’s golden and slightly crispy. Make sure it’s on the middle rack and watch closely so it doesn’t burn!
- Depending on how large your squash are, you may have some slices leftover. I just saute them or use them for other recipes, like these tasty air fryer zucchini fries.
Nutrition
Note: This post was originally published in August 2015. It has been updated throughout.
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Hubby AND Son can’t back for seconds with this one! Both said it was a keeper! Adding to my weeknight roster for certain! So easy and I agree, don’t skip the browning steps! Thanks for yet another banger Amy!!!
Awesome! Thank you so much for the feedback Dee Dee!
This was simple to make and so delicious! We could have eaten the whole pan! I grated fresh mozzerella instead of the 5 cheese blend. Don’t skip the last browning step – the lightly golden cheese top was addictive!
Great choice on the fresh mozzarella!
Disregard last comment! Completely skipped step 1 😂
Lol, no problem LaRae!I hope you enjoyed it!
Made the recipe (which I love!) but realized I have onions still out unused 😬 I’m guessing they are supposed to go in with the ground beef with the garlic?
Looks so cute. Can’t wait to try. I just recently stumbled upon your blog, but I just binge read some articles on your site. I get asked quite often about healthy meal from my own blog’s readers. I will tell them your site. Thank you.
Thank you Cindy! I’m so glad you stopped by! 🙂
I have two large zucchini’s left from my garden – they will be perfect for this lasagna recipe.
My zucchini plants are done now, but I still have some zucchini left that I can use for this recipe. I found that I was cooking my zucchini the same way and it was getting pretty boring.
If you don’t have a spiralizer, Jennifer, you will love it for making zucchini noodles for salads and spaghetti! That’s great that you are growing your own, it doesn’t get any better than fresh!
I was wondering if the zucchini gets watery?
There will be a little more moisture than if you were using pasta, but just make sure to pat the zucchini dry after slicing. We also feel that it’s even better the next day after it sets overnight in the refrigerator and all the flavors meld together. When you slice it and reheat it, it’s perfect.