Zucchini lasagna with meat sauce is the perfect summer dinner! It’s healthy, high in protein, and made with cottage cheese & ground turkey!
Is there anything more delicious than a homemade lasagna? They’re full of cheese, delicious Italian sauce, juicy meat, and normally, lots of noodles.
This one is a bit healthier than regular lasagna because instead of noodles, you’ll be using sliced zucchini!
Not only does this keep the carbohydrates down, but it makes it so much healthier!
This summery zucchini lasagna is the perfect recipe for hosting a nice dinner for your friends and family, or after a trip to the farmer’s market!
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What does it taste like?
Zucchini lasagna tastes a lot like regular lasagna. It’s saucy, cheesy, and full of fresh herbs and Italian spices and flavors, just like a normal lasagna!
But unlike lasagna made with pasta noodles, this no-noodle zucchini lasagna is light and summery, and also filling, too!
You can’t taste the zucchini at all either, which makes it a great option for hiding veggies from those family members who don’t like to eat healthily!
Ingredients
Ground turkey – Ground turkey is a healthy meat choice for this lighter zucchini lasagna because it’s typically lower in fat and less expensive than ground beef.
Marinara sauce – I make my own homemade marinara sauce, and it’s the same sauce I use on homemade pizza, too! But you can also use storebought if you’d like!
Cottage cheese – So much cheaper than ricotta cheese, cottage cheese is full of protein and flavor without breaking the bank. Plus, you can’t taste the difference at all, making it ideal for this zucchini lasagna recipe without ricotta!
Parmesan cheese – Grated parmesan is a must in this recipe, and helps to give it that salty, cheesy flavor you’re looking for!
Mozzarella cheese – My favorite cheese in this recipe! It adds so much flavor when mixed in with the cheese layer, but also is perfect for browning on top of the lasagna. It makes it look absolutely gorgeous and mouthwatering, plus it tastes amazing!
Egg – The egg just helps give the cheese layer some structure and makes it more firm of a layer.
Black pepper – Just another flavor component to add without having to add any more salt than needed!
Fresh basil – There isn’t any other fresh herb I’d want to mix into this zucchini lasagna! Fresh basil gives it that sweet, herby flavor, and makes it taste so summery and fresh!
Fresh zucchini – The star of this recipe! Fresh zucchini sliced into strips makes a great noodle substitute and allows this recipe to be totally gluten-free!
Substitutions
Ground turkey – You can also use ground beef or ground chicken, they both work really well! If you’d like to make this recipe vegetarian, substitute about 4 cups of chopped, sauteed mushrooms in place of the meat!
Marinara sauce – You can use either storebought or homemade marinara sauce for this lasagna. Spaghetti sauce works great in this recipe as well. Trust me, no one will know the difference!
Cottage cheese – Even though you can’t tell that there is cottage cheese in this recipe, you can certainly use ricotta in its place!
Egg – There isn’t a substitute for egg in this recipe, but if you don’t eat eggs, simply leave it out.
Fresh basil – You can use about 1 tsp dried basil if you don’t have fresh basil on hand. However, it may alter the taste a little bit. Definitely use fresh if you can!
Fresh zucchini – Yellow squash and summer squash would also work in this recipe if you don’t have zucchini. If you aren’t a zucchini fan, I would encourage you try this recipe using zucchini anyway before you decide not to use it. Trust me, you won’t dislike it as much as you think you will!
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, brown the turkey and drain.
- Reserve 1 cup of marinara sauce, then add the remaining sauce to the browned turkey and stir together to make a meat sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, egg, pepper, and fresh basil. Set aside
- Slice the zucchini lengthwise using a knife or mandoline. Set aside.
- Spread the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Add a single layer of the sliced zucchini on top of the marinara sauce.
- Next, add half of the meat sauce, spreading evenly over the zucchini.
- For the next layer, add half of the cottage cheese mixture, spreading evenly over the meat sauce layer.
- Add another layer of zucchini, then meat sauce, then cottage cheese mixture. Add the last zucchini layer, then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake!
Tips & FAQ
A combination of slicing your zucchini thin, not using too much sauce, and baking the lasagna uncovered for most of the time is key to keeping it from being watery.
If this recipe is too watery for you, you can try roasting your zucchini before you make the lasagna. Personally, I don’t have the time or patience for that!
I simply used my sharpest knife to slice the zucchini. It’s okay to cut the zucchini into shorter chunks in order to safely slice it with a knife. You can also use a vegetable peeler if you’d like!
Normally, you should definitely cover lasagna while baking to prevent burning.
For this recipe, cover the lasagna for about 20 minutes, then uncover it and bake it for another 30 minutes to help some of the moisture escape.
Nutritional Info
This zucchini lasagna recipe is much healthier than traditional lasagnas! It’s lower in carbohydrates, higher in protein, and has some hidden vegetables, too!
The carbohydrates in this recipe actually do come mostly from the zucchini. Zucchini is a squash, which has some starchy carbohydrates. Even so, this low-carb lasagna has much fewer carbs than regular lasagna and pastas!
Total nutritional content per serving is:
- Calories: 426 calories
- Protein: 44 grams
- Sodium: 927 mg
- Carbohydrates: 20 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- 2 lbs zucchini: $1.56
- 2 lbs ground turkey: $7.36
- 32 oz homemade marinara sauce: $2.86
- 2 cups cottage cheese: $1.75
- 1 cup shredded parmesan: $1.48
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella: $1.98
- 1 egg: $0.29
- 1/2 tsp pepper: $0.01
- 1/4 cup fresh basil (off my Trader Joe’s plant): $0.43
Total comes out to be $17.72 per lasagna, or roughly $2.22 per serving.
Sides
Wondering what to serve with zucchini lasagna? Here are some ideas:
- Side salad
- Breadstick or garlic bread
- Roasted vegetables
- Marinated tomato salad
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Recipe
Zucchini Lasagna w/Ground Turkey
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 32 oz marinara sauce (divided)
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 lbs zucchini (about 3-4 zucchini), sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium skillet, brown the turkey. Drain.
- Reserve 1 cup of marinara sauce, then add the remaining sauce to the browned turkey and stir together to make a meat sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, egg, pepper, and fresh basil. Stir until well combined, and set aside.
- Spread the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add a single layer of the sliced zucchini on top of the marinara sauce. Add half of the meat sauce, spreading evenly over the zucchini. Next, add half of the cottage cheese mixture, spreading evenly over the meat sauce layer.
- Add another layer of zucchini, then meat sauce, then cottage cheese mixture. Add last zucchini layer, then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, uncover, and bake 30 minutes uncovered. To make your cheese golden brown, broil for the last 2-3 minutes.
Video
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This healthy, summery zucchini lasagna is cheesy, filling, and so delicious! You’ll definitely want to make this before summer is over!
xoxo Megan
Maggie says
Delicious! Do you know how many grams of fat is in a serving?
Megan Byrd, RD says
Hi there! 28 grams per serving if you use 4% fat cottage cheese. You can reduce that by using lower-fat cheeses and lower-fat/fat free ground turkey, too!
Kendra says
Hi you said 426 calories a serving how big is this serving?
Megan Byrd, RD says
A serving is 1/8 of the lasagna. Thanks 🙂
Dianne says
We love this recipe. I agree with one other commenter that I may never go back to noodles. This is our 3rd. time enjoying this in the last 6wks. Thank you for a delicious recipe.
Megan Byrd, RD says
Oh yay! I’m glad you loved it 🙂
Patricia says
Can this be assembled and then frozen to be baked later
I would make it in smaller portions
Megan Byrd, RD says
Yes it can! 🙂
bonnie Greenblat says
I missed the oven temp?
Megan Byrd, RD says
400 degrees, it’s stated in step 1.
Kay Shue says
Believe the comments…this is SO delicious! I also added onion and garlic. I made it for my adult daughters and families and it was a hit! I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to using noodles! Easy, delicious…and healthy!
Megan Byrd, RD says
I’m so glad you loved it Kay, you’re so kind 🙂
Logan says
Hi will I be able to use egg plant as a substitute for the zucchini
Megan Byrd, RD says
I’m not sure, I think it’d be worth a try though!
Cyndi says
I use eggplant and zucchini, yellow squash or Mexican grey squash. Whatever I have on hand. Enjoy ☺️
Ginny says
This one was surprisingly easy, and the taste was phenomenal! My husband and 2-year-old son loved it. My husband thinks it tastes even better as leftovers reheated on the second day. We will definitely be making this one consistently every month!
Megan Byrd, RD says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it Ginny! I need to make this again soon, too! 🙂
Jessica says
Can I refrigerate before cooking for the week?
Megan Byrd, RD says
Hi Jessica! Yes, you can do that, but I wouldn’t recommend making it more than 3 days ahead of time. You may also have to bake it for longer because it’ll be cold throughout and take longer to heat through. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Molly Pratt says
My husband loved this asking, “Can we have it once a week?” So flavorful and leftovers the next day are out of this world! I used Rao Marinara & added an onion & 3 cloves minced garlic & red pepper flakes. The result was gorgeous.
Megan Byrd, RD says
I’m so glad to hear that Molly, we love the leftovers around here too! 🙂