Zucchini Lasagna
This is a recipe for easy zucchini lasagna with meat. Fresh zucchini, meaty sauce and mozzarella are layered on top of each other and baked to perfection!
Servings: 4 Portions (See note 5)
Calories: 419
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini , sliced (1.5 pound/660 grams)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion , minced
- 14 ounces ground beef , lean (400 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (14 ounce/400 grams), see note 1
- 4 ounces tomato puree (90 grams), see note 2
- mozzarella slices
Instructions
- Trim off the ends of each zucchini and cut the zucchini in half. Place the cut side onto a chopping board and cut each half into thin slices (⅛-¼ of an inch/½ cm or less). Place them onto a tray and sprinkle salt over. Set them aside.
- Meanwhile: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a skillet/frying pan, heat the oil and add minced onion in. Sauté for about 3 minutes, then add ground beef, ½ tsp of salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cinnamon, oregano and bay leaves.
- Break the ground meat and mix everything making sure the seasoning is evenly distributed. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the beef is almost cooked through. Stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato puree and cook until the sauce thickens and there is not much liquid left.
- Pat dry the zucchini slices with paper kitchen towels.
- To assemble the lasagna, cover the bottom of an oven-proof dish (see note 4) with zucchini slices (sprinkle them with more oregano, if you like). Top them with a thin layer of meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat until you have used all the zucchini slices and meat sauce. You should have 3 layers of zucchini, 2 layers of cheese and 3 layers of meat sauce. Keep the leftover cheese for later.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400°F/200°C for 15 minutes. Then, take it out, top with mozzarella cheese and put it back in the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
- When ready, let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Either pureed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or tomato passata can be used. Note that each one of them might have a different water content so the cooking time may vary (you need to reduce the sauce until it has a thick consistency).
- Tomato puree is a double-concentrated tomato paste.
- I used 7 mozzarella slices to cover all the layers. You can also use shredded cheese if you like. Just don’t add way too much in between the layers. It will melt and release more juices into the lasagna and can make it extra watery.
- The dimensions of the oven-proof dish I used were: 9 x 7 inches (23 x 18 cm). This dish should be 3 inches (7 cm) deep.
- This recipe yields 5 good-size portions or 6 small portions.
- For detailed explanation and more tips or if in doubt, I suggest you read the full post.
- Zucchini lasagna can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated when needed.
- Extra virgin oil can be substituted with cooking olive oil or sunflower oil.
Nutrition Facts
Zucchini Lasagna
Amount per Serving
Calories
419
% Daily Value*
Fat
28
g
43
%
Saturated Fat
11
g
69
%
Cholesterol
86
mg
29
%
Sodium
665
mg
29
%
Potassium
1005
mg
29
%
Carbohydrates
17
g
6
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
27
g
54
%
Vitamin A
682
IU
14
%
Vitamin C
31
mg
38
%
Calcium
284
mg
28
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @happyfoodstube or leave me a comment below.