Thinly sliced zucchini stands in for the noodles in this easy lightened-up zucchini lasagna.
I first made this zucchini lasagna recipe a few months ago when my parents came to visit for the holidays. I wanted to make them a fancy comfort-food dish that was healthy at the same time, and so this healthy, low-carb zucchini lasagna was born.
For the record, my family is Italian, and we really love carbs—especially noodles. So I honestly wasn’t sure what we would think of a lasagna recipe with vegetables standing in for the noodles. But it turned out that we really enjoyed this dish! The lasagna gives you all the flavor of traditional lasagna without making you feel weighed down after finishing the meal.
When you’re a kid growing up, your parents always try to get you to eat more vegetables… and now it is the other way around!
For the zucchini lasagna, you start with a layer of tomato sauce, cover it with thinly sliced zucchini, then spread a layer of the filling on top. Repeat these steps until you’ve used up all of the filling and tomato sauce.
If you happen to have any leftover zucchini—or if you bought extra on purpose because you really love zucchini—here are a few of my favorite suggestions for using up the rest:
Zucchini Brownies (reader favorite)
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables to use in recipes, because its mild flavor and light texture work so well in both sweet and savory dishes, adding substance and moisture without the empty calories.
At less than 80 calories per serving, going back for seconds is strongly encouraged!
I haven’t tried this particular recipe with noodles subbed in for the zucchini, but I honestly don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Please feel free to experiment with replacing some or all of the zucchini “noodles” with pasta if you so desire.
And if you make this recipe, also please feel free to tag @Chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram so I can see your results!
Zucchini Lasagna
Zucchini Lasagna–No Noodles!
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini
- 2 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce
- 14 oz firm tofu (or see soy-free option)
- 1 tsp salt, plus extra for the zucchini
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast or parmesan (such as vegan parma), optional
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella, such as daiya vegan
Instructions
Slice the zucchini so that you get six slices from each. (See photo above.) Spread out on a large plate and sprinkle liberally with salt – don’t worry, most of this will be wiped off later. Let sit for an hour, and you will be amazed at how much moisture this helps bring out of the zucchini. Meanwhile, mash the tofu with the onion, garlic, and optional yeast, then set aside. Wipe all moisture off the zucchini, place on a baking tray, and place on the center oven rack. Now turn on the heat to 450 F and let zucchini cook 15 minutes. Take out zucchini, turn the oven to 375 F, and layer 1/2 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan. Cover the sauce with a layer of zucchini, then spread 1 1/3 cup of the tofu mixture over the zucchini layer. Now add 1 cup sauce, then another zucchini layer, then 1 1/3 cup more tofu. Cover with the final cup sauce, another zucchini layer, and finally cover everything with your cheese. Bake on the center rack 40 minutes, then turn oven off—but don’t open the oven door—and let sit in the oven an additional 20 minutes.
It’s important to not skip either the salting (called “sweating”) or baking stages for the zucchini so your lasagna is not watery.
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Sara @ Last Night's Feast says
23rd January 2017 at 5:06 pmThis lasagna looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Erin says
23rd January 2017 at 6:38 pmI LOVE this idea! Was halfway to the fridge before I saw the filling has soy in it… any ideas for a soy-free filling? Long shot, I know…
Julie Dove says
24th January 2017 at 8:37 amSoy-free option is listed right there in the post 😉
Deziray says
24th January 2017 at 10:05 amGround turkey, beef, non vegan cheese, mushrooms…
Cindy says
14th March 2017 at 10:16 amErin, look up ricotta cheese made with soaked almonds. My family likes it better than the real cheese, and it’s delicious, and vegan.
Linsey says
23rd January 2017 at 10:29 pmI love zucchini, too. I am going to make this on the weekend. Thanks for the inspiration. Oh, and I love your photos.
Bites for Foodies says
24th January 2017 at 6:51 amHow can this not be delicious!? Zucchini noodles all on their own are delicious so throw in some tofu and Daiya cheese? Yes, please!! I buy crumbled tempeh every now and again so I would cook it up in some sauce and add it to this, or a lentil bolognese ground into a sauce.
http://www.bitesforfoodies.com/recipes/lentil-bolognese-zucchini-pasta/
Brianna says
24th January 2017 at 8:54 amWhat type of cheese did you use? It looks so melts and amazing
Julie Dove says
25th January 2017 at 3:31 amKatie has a melty homemade vegan cheese recipe in her cookbook! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/10/11/healthy-breakfast-cookbook-food-blog/
Andrea Villarreal says
25th January 2017 at 5:54 pmHi, I just purchased that book but didn’t see that cheese recipe in there. Can you tell me where I can find it? Thank you.
Julie Dove says
25th January 2017 at 6:29 pmI sent out an email with the bonus recipes. Let me know if you didn’t get it, and I can resend it easily!
Bretta Thompson says
24th January 2017 at 9:13 amI have made this using Eggplant! Just peel the eggplant, slice long slices, do the salt before as well to pull out moisture. I also loaded it with Mushrooms that were chopped up for that “meaty” feel.
Monika says
24th January 2017 at 10:03 amI wish zucs were in season right now. That looks delish! I used spinach ravioli (just last night) in a lasagna and it turned out pretty well. I’ll have to save this recipe to try another twist on a dinner favorite.
Daisyclover says
24th January 2017 at 12:37 pmCan you freeze this??
Julie Dove says
25th January 2017 at 3:28 amProbably not because zucchini is very watery.
Alix says
24th January 2017 at 5:59 pmEvery time you post something with cheese in it, I look through it first to see if the cheese recipe is included lol. I’m just dying for your cheese recipe!!!
Julie Dove says
29th January 2017 at 8:42 amCheese recipe is in her cookbook: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/10/11/healthy-breakfast-cookbook-food-blog/ 🙂
Winnie | Induction Cooking says
24th January 2017 at 8:40 pmThis looks perfect. I love lasagna, it’s the ultimate comfort food. I’m trying to lose weight at the moment so the fact that this is low carb and low calorie really makes my day. I ‘m going to make this for the family, I think it will keep everyone happy.
Emma says
25th January 2017 at 10:03 amDumb question– does the 1 teaspoon of salt in the ingredients go in with the mashed tofu, or is that for the zucchini? This looks delicious, by the way.
Julie Dove says
25th January 2017 at 6:29 pmThat is for the tofu.
Tyna Paquette says
25th January 2017 at 12:06 pmLooks delicious! I make a similar version but with eggplant instead of zucchini, I will have to try with that too.
Thanks for sharing ;o)
Cassie Autumn Tran says
14th February 2017 at 1:12 pmCan definitely see myself eating 3-4 servings of this delicious lasagna! I’ll probably have to purchase lots and lots of tofu to make this recipe! YUM!
Peggy says
19th February 2017 at 11:20 amYikes!! was all I could say when seeing the sodium content. I was all set to try this, until I saw that. I guess I can just skip the salt in the tofu (like I do with most recipes), or just add a sprinkle.
I wonder if I could rinse the salt off the zucchini, and pat dry, before baking, to help bring the sodium down a little more? Or is it needed to help draw out more moisture while baking?
I love your website, and have used (and shared) several of your recipes (black bean brownie….yummy!)
Julie Dove says
19th February 2017 at 11:29 amAbsolutely, you can rinse the salt from the zucchini before baking. In fact, you should. The recipe says to pat dry, which means to remove all the extra moisture and salt that has been sweated out. Hope that helps!
Peggy says
19th February 2017 at 3:55 pmYes. Thank you.
Stephanie Reed says
26th February 2017 at 10:00 amI just purchased your wonderful breakfast cookbook but, but like others, I couldn’t find the melty cheese recipe:-( Could you please send it??? Thanks so much.
Julie Dove says
26th February 2017 at 10:30 amSent!
Christy March says
19th March 2017 at 9:17 pmI just made this and am so bummed. What did I do wrong? I rinsed the zuchinni off before baking,popped it into the oven and patiently waited. Took my first bite and am now trying to figure out what to eat because this is so salty. Like tastes like a salt lick salty. I didn’t salt the sauce, or anything else for that matter. Just the zuchinni. Rinsed it off because I was so worried it would be too salty, which despite my efforts, it was. I tried to suck it up and eat it anyways but it tastes like ocean water. Someone help 🙁
Jason Sanford says
20th March 2017 at 7:31 amI’m not sure as I’ve never had that problem. If you pat the zucchini/wipe off the salt before baking, then there shouldn’t be any salt left so no idea where your salty flavor would have come from. Maybe bad zucchini somehow?
collee says
2nd April 2017 at 11:49 pmYouch! the sodium is waaay too high! What can be done to lower it to a maximum of 200 mg? Otherwise, it looks! delish
Jason Sanford says
3rd April 2017 at 8:53 amWell you could always just decrease the amount of salt called for in the recipe or use a no-sodium tomato sauce. It will change the taste, but if you’re used to already eating foods that are low-sodium then you might not mind the flavor. I personally would find it flavorless but I find all low-sodium recipes flavorless so that’s just me.
Sherri says
13th April 2017 at 11:01 amI made this using regular lasagna noodles (I need to practice my zoodle making skills) and it was absolutely delicious! My carnivore family ate it all up! I’m making it again for Easter dinner! Thanks for the awesome recipe, Katie!
Kayla Taylor says
25th April 2017 at 8:13 pmCan this recipe be frozen?
Jason Sanford says
26th April 2017 at 5:46 amProbably not. Zucchini doesn’t usually freeze well in general.
M says
10th June 2017 at 3:20 pmIs there a way to cut the lasagna noodles with an instrument other than knife?
Amy Wozny says
22nd June 2018 at 5:26 pmMaybe a mandoline? https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-v-blade-mandoline-slicer/1014640630?skuId=14640630&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_kitchenfoodprep_online&product_id=14640630&adtype=pla&product_channel=online&adpos=1o9&creative=224484706035&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&mrkgadid=558377654&mrkgcl=609&rkg_id=h-25c32468fceaf5dcb7fddde83191dcd1_t-1529702693&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvLLZBRDrARIsADU6ojDSQwHTlHRna7slqvWfu6DAZzf2w85qfmobkN-zCt8leL1VYwGRUw0aApHkEALw_wcB
Mine has a knob so you can adjust for thicker slices.
Jennifer says
22nd June 2017 at 2:28 pmMy 3 year-old and I just made this together and it is unbelievable. I’m trying not to eat the entire pan myself! Thank you for this!
Jennifer says
25th July 2017 at 4:17 pmI have made this every week for the last 4 weeks! This is seriously one of my very favorite recipes ever . Thank you!
Christina says
27th January 2018 at 5:34 pmDo you think Mori-Nu firm tofu would work for this recipe? Also, do you need to pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees?
Jason Sanford says
28th January 2018 at 9:07 amYou never know unless you experiment but it sounds like a fun experiment. Be sure to report back if you try! Also no for preheating. You turn the oven on once the zucchini are in there.
Helena says
3rd February 2018 at 12:14 amThis is my type of food. It looks delicious. Can’t wait to make it, I just need to buy some zucchini first!
Sarah-Beth says
31st May 2018 at 6:10 pmHi, just wondering if a vegan cheese sauce could be subbed for the mozzarella? For example the sauce from kid-friendly mac + cheese or the ultimate vegan cheese sauce (both lovely).
Chocolate Covered Katie says
31st May 2018 at 6:59 pmSorry haven’t ever tried, but please feel free to experiment!
Sarah-Beth says
16th June 2018 at 5:13 pmOk I just made this and it was delicious! I made quite a few adjustments…
1. I sauteed the courgettes in a tiny bit of oil instead of sweating and baking, which carmalised them nicely.
2. I did the tofu with a heaped teaspoon of garlic and onion powder,
3. I used the sauce from ‘Kid Friendly mac and cheese’ instead of mozzarella with nutritional yeast on top,
4. I only cooked it for 20 minutes, then added the cheese sauce and cooked for another 10,
5. Instead of leaving the dish in the oven for 20 minutes, I left it on the side for 10 before serving.
It was really nice with the cheesy sauce, however it took a lot longer- next time I will just use the nutritional yeast on top to cut back on time. Thank you for the recipe!
Dee Brown says
14th March 2019 at 3:44 pmYour site is making me crazy! I have ADHD but usually function pretty well. There is so much MOVEMENT and ads that drop in that I have NO control over my focus and concentration. I’ve been a fan of yours practically from the beginning. I use a lot of the recipes and serve them to guests and family whenever possible. However, I may have to unsubscribe because of all the visual “static” you now have going on. I’m ready to scream, Sorry, but true.
Jason Sanford says
14th March 2019 at 3:55 pmI’m not really sure what you’re seeing, as the site functions just fine for me (and not any different from other food blogs). We are not running any takeover or popup ads so would definitely want to know if you’re seeing such things. I’m happy to take a look if you want to email me screenshots.
chocolatecoveredmedia at gmail.