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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Zucchini Lasagna {Vegetarian + Gluten Free + Grain-free}

    Zucchini Lasagna {Vegetarian + Gluten Free + Grain-free}

    Published on Sep 7, 2017 · Last updated on Aug 24, 2021 ·

    1.6K shares
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    Delicious lasagna made with zucchini instead of pasta! They're gluten-free, low carb and vegetarian. Great dinner idea! Recipe on NotEnoughCinnamon.com

    Oh my, oh my, oh my...these lasagne!! If you ever thought that the only decent lasagna you could ever have would necessarily have pasta in them, well...today's the day you have to change your mind!

    This baby is made with zucchini instead of pasta, and it's so freakin' good! Like, for real. So delicious. But with all the cheese, it just had to be amazing, right? We've got a combo of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella going on (yum, yum, yum). Basically all the goodness of Italy in a casserole!

    Delicious lasagna made with zucchini instead of pasta! They're gluten-free, low carb and vegetarian. Great dinner idea! Recipe on NotEnoughCinnamon.com

    So, disclosure time: it does not take 5 minutes to make these lasagna. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little bit labor intensive. It's more a lazy Sunday affair than a busy weeknight meal, for sure.

    However! Is it worth it?! A 100% YES! Honestly, I would hate for you to spend all the time and effort, and just end up with something decent. Decent doesn't cut it. These lasagna are the bomb, everybody loves them! And did I mention that, because it's veggies, you get to eat a huge portion without breaking the calorie bank? Me like! Enjoy! 🙂

    Delicious lasagna made with zucchini instead of pasta! They're gluten-free, low carb and vegetarian. Great dinner idea! Recipe on NotEnoughCinnamon.com

    Delicious lasagna made with zucchini instead of pasta! They're gluten-free, low carb and vegetarian. Great dinner idea! Recipe on NotEnoughCinnamon.com
    5 from 5 votes
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    Zucchini Lasagna {Vegetarian +Gluten Free + Grain-free}


    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Prep Time 40 minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 441 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 small sweet onion diced
    • 3 garlic cloves minced
    • 28 oz. - 800 g canned diced tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
    • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
    • 3 large zucchini cut into ⅛ inch strips (see notes)
    • sea salt to taste
    • 1 ½ cup part-skim ricotta
    • 1 large egg
    • ¼ cup grated parmesan
    • 16 oz. - 450 g mozzarella sliced
    • Freshly ground pepper to taste.

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 375F / 190 C degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan, set aside.
    2. In a large saucepan, add olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté onion and garlic, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, basil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-35 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
    3. In the meantime, lay out sliced zucchini on a cutting board or surface. Salt the zucchini and set aside for 10 minutes until it starts to create moisture. Use a paper towel to dry zucchini and set aside.
    4. To parbake zucchini: lay out zucchini strips in one even layer in 9x13 dish, bake for 5-7 minutes or until it begins to soften and become tender, then set aside. Repeat in batches until all zucchini is parbaked.
    5. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta, parmesan and egg. Mix until well combined.
    6. Using the same 9x13 dish from before, begin layering lasagna: Spread about ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom, layer zucchini strips to cover, spread ½ cup ricotta mixture overtop, then layer mozzarella cheese slices. Repeat the same layers ending with mozzarella on the top layer. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover with foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, drain excess liquid in your sink (making sure the lasagne don't tip over!), bake an additional 20 minutes or until browned and bubbling. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

    Recipe Notes

    *To cut the zucchini, I highly recommend you use a mandoline slicer like this one. It will save you a LOT of time and effort, and you're guaranteed to have even, thin stripes.

    Nutrition Facts
    Zucchini Lasagna {Vegetarian +Gluten Free + Grain-free}
    Amount Per Serving (1 g)
    Calories 441 Calories from Fat 252
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 28g43%
    Saturated Fat 14g88%
    Cholesterol 109mg36%
    Sodium 1117mg49%
    Potassium 720mg21%
    Carbohydrates 18g6%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 9g10%
    Protein 29g58%
    Vitamin A 1225IU25%
    Vitamin C 35.5mg43%
    Calcium 672mg67%
    Iron 2.6mg14%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Delicious lasagna made with zucchini instead of pasta! They're gluten-free, low carb and vegetarian. Great dinner idea! Recipe on NotEnoughCinnamon.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sandy

      September 02, 2018 at 12:22 pm

      YUM!! I added a couple of anchovie fillets to the tomato sauce and used eggplant along with zucchini. So so yum! The lemon is genius - just enough of a tan and without it could run the risk of being a little ordinary. Thank you for this recipe! 💕💕

    2. Cookie

      March 04, 2019 at 3:10 am

      Made this tonight and it came out beautiful. I cooked for 30 minutes, then took off the cover and cooked for 20 minutes. I didn't have to drain it. Excellent recipe. The only thing I did different was add a little cinnamon to the sauce and a sprinkle of Italian Season.

      • Marie

        March 04, 2019 at 9:19 am

        Thanks Cookie, so glad you liked this recipe! And thanks for your feedback 🙂

    3. Bryan

      June 03, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      I made this recipe as instructed and it was most certainly good. A few things that I'll try in the future is also adding in a bit of the Italian seasoning as one user suggested, along with throwing in some sliced mushrooms (ok, a lot because I can never get enough of them).

      • Marie

        May 07, 2020 at 12:03 am

        Hi Bryan! Awesome - I am so happy you enjoyed it! Your modifications sound delicious! Thanks for sharing

    4. CJ

      September 25, 2019 at 6:23 am

      I had no lemon on hand when I decided to look up a veggie lasagna recipe for tonight, so I substituted sumac. I also used eggplant, broccoli, and mushrooms, and I added parsley and nutmeg to the ricotta mix--because why not. I always go off-book when I cook 😛 It's freakin' delicious. I am so glad I made enough for 4 meals, haha.

      • Marie

        May 08, 2020 at 3:01 am

        HI CJ! Sumac is a great alternative to lemon and adds a wonderful freshness and zing! Such a wonderful idea. Love the addition of nutmeg to the cheese mix - I bet it makes it even better and I really enjoy nutmeg in bechamel sauce so this should be amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    5. Lauren

      November 04, 2019 at 5:21 pm

      PARMESAN is Not a vegetarian cheese. Besides that,the recipe sounds great!

      • Marie

        January 01, 2020 at 8:31 pm

        Unless you buy a specifically vegetarian one, made without animal rennet I believe?

    6. Shawna

      February 10, 2020 at 11:19 pm

      Hi there - do you know if the leftovers will freeze well? Thanks!

      • Marie

        May 07, 2020 at 12:00 am

        Hi Shawna! To freeze zucchini lasagna you have two options: prepare lasagna as directed then cover with plastic wrap and foil and place in freezer for 3 months. Once ready to bake, thaw out the lasagna overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed. You can also freeze the lasagna after it has been baked.

    7. Diane

      July 27, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      This was unreal! I subbed the ricotta for pressed cottage cheese, omitted the lemon and basil (because I didn't have any), added parsley and doubled the parm - it still turned delicious! I can't wait to try it again once I have lemon and basil on hand. Yum, Yum, YUM! I could eat this every day.

      • Marie

        August 25, 2020 at 5:19 pm

        Thanks so much Diane, glad you loved this lasagna! And thanks for sharing your substitutions 🙂

    8. Linda T

      November 02, 2020 at 11:23 pm

      Made it your way and it was fantastic. This time I am using crushed tomatoes, garlic and onion powders, oregano, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and herbes de Provence, all about 3/4 teaspoons except for the cayenne 1/8 tsp. and pepper flakes 1./3 tsp.. Came out great, no need to drain.

      • Marie

        November 25, 2020 at 10:04 pm

        Sounds delicious Linda! Thanks for sharing your tweaks! 🙂

    9. Adeline

      December 24, 2020 at 3:10 am

      Wow, this recipe was absolutely perfect! I've tried other zucchini lasagna recipes that just did not measure up, but this really reminds me of my childhood. Unfortunately the stores were out of ricotta, so I used a tofu and yogurt mixture that surprisingly worked great! Thanks for this recipe!

      • Marie

        December 28, 2020 at 3:31 am

        That makes me super happy! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback! The tofu variation sounds excellent!

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