Satisfying and full of goodness, this zucchini lasagna is gluten free and super duper delicious. It really is the perfect summer meal.
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Hello friends. Let’s talk zucchini.
You know those beautiful green vegetables that almost anyone can grow in their garden?
You gotta watch them you know. One minute you’re admiring their cute little itty-bitty-ness and deciding you’d better leave them to get just a little bit bigger.
Then you blink. And the next thing you know.
Bam.
They’ve turned into monster baseball bats before your very eyes.
I’m not kidding. It happens so fast.
Those things are crazy.
But the truth is, I love zucchini.
I Love. Love. Love it.
Don’t always love the tough-as-nails, hard-as-a-rock, baseball bat version. But I love zucchini.
This recipe showcases zucchini at its finest. But let me warn you, if you are staring at giant baseball bat zucchinis and wondering if this is the recipe for you, IT’S NOT!
Sorry to yell, but no I don’t think those would taste good in this recipe at all.
Instead go try some zucchini bread or zucchini muffins or zucchini brownies – usually zucchini baked goods are wonderful in that they work for any zucchini, basically.
But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE save this recipe for your good zucchinis. The kind that are no more than 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Beautifully sleek and beautifully long.
The yummy, tender good ones. Use those please. It really will make a difference.
Whew. Got that off my chest. Okay let’s move on.
I don’t know that I ever would have been brave enough to try a recipe like this on my own. At least not in the point in my life when I did. At that particular time I was up to my limit of kids throwing disgusted looks at me when I fed them anything out of the ordinary. And green, slimy vegetables instead of noodles were definitely out the ordinary.
So I have to give credit to my cute hairdresser and friend Kim C. for her sharing this recipe with me and telling me how much her family loved it.
How to make this zucchini lasagna
I ended up adapting her recipe just slightly to include an optional draining for the zucchini first (which cuts down just a bit on the runniness of the lasagna). The draining step isn’t hard. Just stick the zucchini slices in a strainer over the sink, add some salt and let them drain for about 30 minutes.
I also like to use my own quick quinoa spaghetti sauce that I posted earlier this week. Yum. And if you use fresh tomatoes in that sauce it’s pretty much a game changer. The whole dish tastes so fresh and yummy. So perfect for this time of year with the garden busting at the seams with veggies.
This dish is not hard to put together. Just layer the drained zucchini with the sauce and cheese like your traditional lasagna recipe. I usually lay the zucchini strips across the width of the pan because they fit better that way. You can even put it together ahead of time (up to 24 hours in advance) and then refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake.
My kids surprised me immensely when I made this lasagna the first time and they ate it without any fuss. And now we’ve made it every single summer for years and it’s something the whole family will eat.
One another amazing thing about this recipe is that it is gluten free, which is perfect for my Dad who is Celiac. We’ve made it for him several times and he always enjoys it.
It is just so good. Light but filling and packed full of flavor. And you really don’t miss the traditional lasagna noodles.
I hope you enjoy it too.
Zucchini Lasagna
Satisfying and full of goodness, this zucchini lasagna is gluten free and super duper delicious. It really is the perfect summer meal.
Ingredients
- 2 small/medium zucchini see note
- coarse salt to taste
- ½ to 1 pound ground beef or mild Italian sausage
- 1 recipe of quick quinoa spaghetti sauce see note
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese see note
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ⅓ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups grated Jack or Mozzarella cheese or cheese blend
Instructions
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Slice zucchini lengthwise into thin strips 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick. I usually use a mandolin slicer to do this so they are all fairly evenly sliced. Sprinkle zucchini strips lightly with salt and let drain in strainer for about 30 minutes while preparing the sauce (This is an optional step. I’ve made it without draining the zucchini and it’s still very good, just more runny). When finished draining, dry off zucchini strips with paper towels until no or little moisture is left.
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Brown meat in large saucepan. Drain and discard grease. Add sauce ingredients and let simmer until done according to the recipe or if using bottled spaghetti sauce just heat until warm.
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While sauce is heating, combine ricotta cheese, black pepper, salt, parsley and Parmesan cheese in medium bowl and mix until combined. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.
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When ready to assemble lasagna, add about ⅓ – ½ cup sauce to lightly cover the bottom of a 9×13" baking pan. Lay out the zucchini strips without overlapping to cover the pan. Then add a ⅓ of the remaining sauce and then layer the entire ricotta cheese mixture on top in one thick layer. Lay out another layer of zucchini strips on top of the ricotta cheese mixture and press down lightly. Then add ½ of the remaining sauce and sprinkle with grated jack or mozzarella cheese. Lay out the rest of the zucchini strips and then add the remainder of the sauce and grated cheese. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on the very top.
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Bake lasagna in preheat 350 F oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Once cooked, let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving to set up slightly.
Recipe Notes
1. This recipe works best with zucchini that is thin and sleek (no more than 2 to 3 inches in diameter). No monsters please!
2. Instead of the quick quinoa spaghetti sauce, you can alternately use a 28-ounce bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce.
3. I usually only use ½ to ¾ lb. of meat when I make this with the quinoa sauce.
4. I used to make this with fresh Mexican ricotta cheese. It’s called Requeson and it is so good. Now I make it with this homemade ricotta cheese. YUM!
5. This lasagna can be made up to 24 hours in advance before baking.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, originally modified from a recipe shared shared with me by my good friend Kim C.
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
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