September 8, 2024 20 Comments
Lasagna is one of those foods that tops everyone’s favorite meal lists, so I came up with Baked Zucchini Lasagna to help lighten up this classic.
My son, like Garfield, has never met a lasagna he didn’t like. Honestly, the kid could eat his own plate of this dish if we let him (we always try to get him to eat the salad before we can get seconds, or even third helpings, etc.). I decided to upgrade my lasagna for him.
My first thought was to leave out the noodles and use zucchini instead, as it is much lower in carbs and calories (and I had seen many recipes for this version in lighter cookbooks).
Guess what I got?
I made a delicious cheesy zucchini side dish, but NO ONE (especially my son) was fooled by the lack of noodles. “Mom, where’s the lasagna? This is disgusting.”
I had to admit that it got a bit too watery because the zucchini “noodles” released all their liquid while cooking and it got a bit soupy. Plus, the dish is so iconic that it’s hard to replace pasta without turning it into something else.
I went back to the drawing board (or in my case, the kitchen counter) and designed a meatless lasagna with a layer of zucchini. Miraculously, my son didn’t notice the zucchini and I got a nice plate.
This recipe isn’t going to win the “healthiest casserole” award, but it is an improvement over the calorie bomb that is regular lasagna. I make two of these at a time and freeze one for a later meal.
I love cooking in my 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Everyone has one, so I think this type of recipe is very accessible.
My Mexican Zucchini Boats are another wonderful way to use zucchini to lighten things up. Last week, I shared my Zucchini Breakfast Muffins and they were very well received.
I love zucchini – it’s so versatile and affordable.
Secret Style Zucchini Lasagna
Reprinted from Snack Girl to the Rescue!
Serves 8, 1 ¼ cups per serving
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Ingredients
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 jar (25 ounces) tomato sauce, no cheese or sugar added (such as marinara sauce)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 7 or 8 slices
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F degrees.
Mix the ricotta, parmesan and egg in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
Pour 1 cup of the tomato mixture into a 9x13x2-inch casserole dish. Arrange all of the zucchini slices on top of the sauce.
Spoon half of the ricotta mixture over the zucchini and top with another cup of the tomato mixture. Top with 3 pasta sheets and spread with the remaining ricotta mixture. Add 1 cup of the sauce and top with the remaining 3 pasta sheets. Top with the remaining sauce and top with shredded mozzarella.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes to finish melting the cheese. After removing the lasagna from the oven, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes to allow it to firm up.
Nutritional data
254 calories, 10.8 grams fat, 5.7 grams saturated fat, 24.3 grams carbohydrates, 6.3 grams sugar, 16.6 grams protein, 2.5 grams fiber, 644 mg sodium, 8 Freestyle SmartPts
Point values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for informational purposes only. See all Snack Girl recipes
