Drop The Noodles, Up the Veggies: Healthy Weeknight Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
Everyone loves lasagna. But one of the pain points of making this favorite dish is how long it takes to come together, what with cooking the noodles, prepping the cheese filling, and cooking the beef filling separately. Then you have to assemble the lasagna and wait for that bubbly goodness to come out of the oven. The whole process can take up to 2 hours. Who has time for that, especially on busy weeknights? This recipe proves that lasagna can be all those things you never thought it could be: fast, easy, and healthy! The familiar flavors of lasagna (aka all the cheesy-beefy-tomatoey goodness) are all right here in this stove-top Zucchini Lasagna recipe. We dropped the noodles and added a ton of nutritious veggies to the pot so that each bite is satisfying and full of all those familiar flavors you love in lasagna.
Ingredients to make One-Skillet Zucchini Lasagna
This one-pan veggie-filled lasagna is full of fresh and delicious ingredients, including:
Ground beef – or use ground turkey; we recommend using 93% lean ground beef or ground turkeyItalian seasoningExtra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil – our go-to oil staples are Primal Kitchen Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Primal Kitchen Pure Avocado Oil (see below for a great deal from Primal Kitchen)Zucchini – you’ll need 2 small or 1 very large zucchini, which will get cut into half-moon shapesMushrooms – use button or cremini mushroomsYellow onion – you’ll need 1/2 medium onion, can also use white onionGarlic cloves – or you can use 1 teaspoon garlic powderFresh spinachFresh basil leavesMarinara sauce – you’ll need a 24-ounce jar; we like the marinara from Primal KitchenBalsamic vinegar – we love this Organic Balsamic Vinegar of ModenaMozzarella cheeseCottage cheese – you can use full-fat or 2% fat cottage cheeseParmesan cheese
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How to Make This One-Skillet Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
Since everything cooks in one pan, this Zucchini Lasagna comes together in a few simple steps. First: Cook the ground beef with seasonings in a deep skillet. Remove the cooked beef to a plate. Next: Wipe out the skillet and cook the vegetables in the same skillet until tender. Last: Add the marinara sauce and some of the cheese, and return the beef mixture to the skillet. Mix it all together. Finish: Top with cheese and cook until melted (can also melt the top layer of cheese under the broiler)
A Note About Liquid in the Skillet
There will be some liquid at the bottom of the skillet, depending on how much water was released from the vegetables and the thickness of the marinara sauce you used. This is normal and fine. For this reason, serve scoops of the lasagna with a slotted spoon. Or, you could remove some of the liquid with a spoon or turkey baster, if you’d like. The water does not diminish the flavor or thickness of the dish.
How to Prep Zucchini Lasagna Ahead
If you have a few extra minutes on the weekend, you can make weeknights even easier by prepping some ingredients ahead of time. This recipe works especially well, as several of the components can be done a few days in advance, including:
Brown the ground beef mixture and refrigerate in a covered containerChop the zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and garlic and refrigerate these veggies together in a covered container
With these ingredients prepped and ready to go, you’ll be all set for a busy weeknight. You can start on Step 2 of the recipe below, and from there the whole thing will come together in about 25 minutes. Serve scoops of this delicious Zucchini Lasagna alongside a salad or some roasted veggies for a well-balanced meal.
Other Easy One-Skillet Recipes to Try:
One-Skillet Chicken ParmesanSkillet Chicken PiccataOne-Skillet Sweet and Sour ChickenEasy Skillet Lasagna – if you’re looking for a skillet lasagna with noodles, check out this recipe
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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
