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We cracked the code to the best zucchini lasagna! Roasted zucchini noodles and three cheeses make just the right Italian flavor.
After years of testing, we’ve done it: we cracked the code to the Perfect Zucchini Lasagna! You might not share our elation if you haven’t attempted a no noodle lasagna before. It’s easy to spend lots of effort and end up with a watery mess. But not with this recipe! This zucchini lasagna alternates beautiful layers of roasted zucchini noodles, hearty garlicky tomato sauce and three gooey cheeses. It tastes as good–or better–than a classic lasagna! In fact, we might pick it over the classic. Here’s what to know about making a kick-ass lasagna that happens to be gluten free, too.
Other favorites? Spaghetti squash lasagna, vegan lasagna and vegetarian lasagna.
Ingredients for zucchini lasagna
This zucchini lasagna is not a traditional lasagna made with zucchini (though that would be good, too). It’s a no noodle lasagna that uses zucchini strips instead of noodles! The zucchini makes a lovely noodle-like texture to the cheesy mess. This also makes this a gluten free, paleo and keto lasagna, if that’s your diet preference. To us: it’s just delicious! Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Large zucchini: Size matters, here! It’s nice to have larger zucchini for layering, and they fit in the pan easier than lots of small ones. But you can get away with small or medium if that’s all you have.
- Ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese: The Italian flavors in this recipe sing with three types of cheese!
- Homemade tarragon tomato sauce: See the section below. You can substitute oregano if you don’t have dried tarragon.
- Lemon zest and fresh thyme: These bring a zing and freshness that’s absolutely essential to the flavors.
Have leftover ricotta? Try these Genius Ricotta Cheese Recipes.
How do you get the water out of zucchini lasagna?
Zucchini is over 90% water. The biggest issue with a zucchini lasagna it’s a watery mess when you pull it out of the oven. We’ve had this happen several times, so we’ve engineered this recipe to come out with the perfect texture ever time. Here’s how to get the water out of zucchini lasagna:
- Roast the zucchini noodles. This cooks out a large amount of the water. You’ll roast them at 450 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes. (This is much more effective than salting and draining the zucchini, like some recipes do.)
- Don’t use too much tomato sauce. Tomato sauce also has lots of moisture! This recipe calls for just the right amount of tomato sauce for the pan.
- Thicken the tomato sauce with cornstarch. This is another preventative measure! Adding a little cornstarch makes an even thicker tomato sauce with less water.
- Let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes to set. Right out of the oven, there may be a little moisture. Let the lasagna sit and cool, which lets it absorb any remaining moisture.
With these steps, you’ll find this zucchini lasagna is not watery and has the perfect classic lasagna texture.
Use a 9 x 9 pan, or equivalent volume
One note for the size of this recipe! You can only roast 2 pounds of zucchini at one time, and this makes just enough noodles for a 9 x 9 pan. If you’re cooking for more people, you can do 1.5 times the recipe for a 9 x 13 pan, or do two 9 x 9 pans. Just note that you’ll have to cook two batches of zucchini noodles! A good make ahead tip could be to roast the zucchini noodles in advance (see below).
In these photos, you’ll see we used a small rectangular baking dish that is the same volume as a 9 x 9″ pan (10 cups volume or 2.5 quarts).
Make the homemade tomato sauce
For this zucchini lasagna, we recommend to make this homemade tomato sauce instead of using a purchased marinara sauce. Why?
- The sauce has incredible flavor. The tomato sauce is one of the biggest influences on flavor in a lasagna We promise it’s worth the time to make it!
- It’s thickened to avoid watery lasagna. As we noted above, this sauce is thickened so it avoids the problem of too much water. Many store-bought sauces can be too water.
- The dried tarragon makes it a home run! Using dried tarragon in this recipe makes the flavors sing! If you can’t find it, you can use oregano. But it’s worth finding: especially if you’ve never tried it.
Make ahead tips for zucchini lasagna
This zucchini lasagna takes about 45 minutes to prepare, 40 minutes to bake, and 15 minutes to sit. So, make it when you have ample time! Here are a few things you can do to shortcut that 45 minute preparation time.
- Roast the zucchini noodles in advance. One of the biggest time savers is roasting the noodles in advance. Roast them and then refrigerate until baking. They will accumulate moisture in the fridge, so pat them dry before assembling.
- Make the tomato sauce in advance. It’s easy to let the tomato sauce simmer while you preheat the oven. But you can make it in advance too! Just refrigerate until serving: the flavor gets better over time.
More zucchini recipes
Summer is all about zucchini recipes! Here are some we recommend giving a try:
- Make a fun dinner with Easy Zucchini Boats, or try a side of Baked Zucchini
- Mix up Creamy Zucchini Pasta
- Bake up a pan of Perfect Zucchini Lasagna
- Try Zucchini Bread, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Lemon Zucchini Bread or Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Go for Zucchini Fritters and dip them in a tasty sauce (try Tzatziki!)
This zucchini lasagna recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo and keto.
Perfect Zucchini Lasagna
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
We cracked the code to the best zucchini lasagna! Roasted zucchini noodles and three cheeses make just the right Italian flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, fire roasted if possible
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, fire roasted if possible
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or oregano)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
- 2 pounds zucchini (3 large or 5 small medium)
- 2 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1/2 lemon)
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 cups (7 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the sauce: Mince the garlic. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat: once melted, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn down the heat and carefully add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, tarragon, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Remove ¼ cup of the sauce and stir it with the cornstarch, then add it back to the pan (this helps to thicken the sauce). Simmer while making the remainder of the recipe, at least 15 minutes. When ready to use, remove the pan from the heat.
- Roast the zucchini noodles: Slice the zucchini into noodles ¼ inch thick, using a knife or mandoline (if you have a mandoline, it’s the easiest way to get uniform pieces). You can discard the pieces that are just the peel. Place the zucchini strips on two parchment-lined baking sheets and drizzle them with olive oil, then use your hands to rub it so they are lightly coated on both sides. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided across the 2 trays. Roast 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender. Remove the pans from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cheese filling: Destem the thyme, then roughly chop the leaves. Add 2 tablespoons thyme to a medium bowl and reserve about ½ tablespoon for topping the lasagna. To the bowl, add the lemon zest, ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Turn down the oven: Turn down the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Assemble the lasagna: In a 9” x 9” baking dish (or similar volume baking dish), spread a ½ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then top with 1 layer of the zucchini noodles, half of the cheese mixture (in dollops) and about ½ cup of the tomato sauce, using a spatula to spread the sauce evenly over the cheese. Repeat again, topping with 1 layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and ½ cup of the remaining tomato sauce. Finally, top with a final layer of noodles, then another ½ cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle the entire top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and ½ tablespoon fresh thyme.
- Bake the lasagna: Bake the lasagna for 40 minutes, uncovered. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving (this allows the lasagna to set; you can let it sit even longer if desired). Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days and reheated in a 375°F oven.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Can you make up the lasagne the day before and then cook or keep the parts separate until you can bake?
Great question! We recommend roasting the zucchini and making the tomato sauce in advance — then assemble right before you want to bake!
This was a fantastic recipe. The addition of nutmeg almost gave it a Greek Moussaka flavor which I love. I usually salt my zucchini and draw out some of the moisture ahead of time but this time I followed your recipe and roasted them but feel mine was still a little wet so I will salt ahead of time and also roast like your recipe. I may try an eggplant version. GREAT recipe and instruction, thank you.
I made the zucchini lasagne last night and it was fabulous. Everybody was wow’d. I included both tarragon and oregano. Also included Italian sausage. I did not dry out the zucchini first and it did produce extra juice, which we all decided was a good thing for dipping garlic bread into!
thank you so much lovey You treat me like diamonds
What change could you make to reduce the potassium.
My husband has just one working kidney and he is on a LOW potassium diet.
Thank you for your reply.
mb
I’m not sure, I’m sorry! I think zucchini and tomatoes both have a fair amount of potassium.
I haven’t tried any of your recipes. I just bounced up on them today and will try the Zucchini Lasagne this weekend. Looking forward to making it.
Can’t wait to try your receipes.
If I want to also make this zucchini and squash as the ‘noodles’ would you also roast the squash the same way?
Yes, that should work.
I made this from a recipe I saw being made by another cook. She never mentioned anything about the Zucchini noodles. It turned out like soup. I was so disappointed because I had asked a couple friends over. I took us out for Pizza instead. And…it was embarrassing.
I am going to make this again using your recipe. This time I am not inviting anyone over to join me until after I have made it. Not that I don’t believe you it was just a horrifying experience for me the first time. I hope you understand?. I am also not rating your recipe until after. And that will be soon! Thank you both.
It’s a very soft lasagna but it shouldn’t be soupy! Hopefully our thickened sauce works out for you.