This Zucchini Lasagna is a gluten-free twist on the classic! Made with layers of zucchini, tomato sauce, and cheese—you won’t miss the noodles!
This Zucchini Lasagna recipe has become one of the most popular recipes on my site over the years. I first published this recipe four years ago, and since then, my readers have baked it and given great reviews.
I still make it often since my family loves it. This recipe is great because it uses zucchini noodles instead of regular pasta.
Key Ingredients to Make Zucchini Lasagna
This recipe is made with simple, wholesome ingredients like zucchini, tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, spinach, basil, and parsley. While the ingredient list is straightforward, I’d like to highlight a few key components to help you make the best zucchini lasagna possible:
Cheese: I’ve made this recipe many times using both part-skim ricotta and part-skim shredded mozzarella, and it works well with either. However, using regular ricotta and mozzarella adds more fat, which results in a richer, creamier flavor.
Zucchini: I usually like small to medium-sized zucchini. They are less watery. Large ones are fine too. Just make sure to pat them dry or salt them to remove extra moisture if needed.
Tomato Sauce: For this version, I’m using a simple tomato sauce. If you want more texture and protein, you can use a hearty meat sauce. Try using ground beef or ground turkey instead.
I’ve created this step-by-step photo tutorial to help you make the best Zucchini Lasagna you can.
Let’s assemble the lasagna:
- First, spray a 9 x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Then, spread about 1 cup of the spinach-tomato sauce on the bottom of your casserole or baking dish.
2. Add a second layer of about 6 or 7 zucchini strips over the tomato sauce or marinara sauce. The amount of zucchini slices you need depends on the size of the zucchini.
3. After that, place about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the ricotta mixture over the zucchini slices.
4. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella cheese. Use as much or as little mozzarella cheese as you wish.
5. Then, add another layer of zucchini noodles and pasta sauce. Repeat the layers until all your ingredients are used.
6. Top with more mozzarella cheese to add more flavour to this recipe. Then, add 1/2 cup parmesan on top.
7. Finally, cover the casserole with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, and cook for 10-15 more minutes. If you want to make this lasagna ahead of time, just place the unbaked lasagna in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After you bake it, remove it from the oven, and let it cool for about 10 minutes. The reason we let the zucchini lasagna rest for 10 minutes is so the lasagna can set. This way, when you cut into it, the lasagna does not fall apart before getting on your plate!
Sprinkle with salt and chopped parsley. Enjoy this delicious comfort food!
How to Make Zucchini Noodles for Lasagna
You can make them using a sharp knife, a mandolin slicer, or a vegetable peeler. I’ve made this Zucchini Lasagna many times and have made the zucchini noddles using all three tools.
However, my favourite kitchen tool for making zucchini noodles is the mandolin slicer, because it’s fast and it creates exceptionally even slices, which is very important to bake the entire lasagna evenly.
Tips to Prevent Watery Zucchini in Lasagna
- Slice the zucchini thinner to reduce moisture.
- Salt the slices and let them sit for 15 minutes, then blot with a paper towel.
- Lightly grill each side for 1–2 minutes to dry them out.
- I also like to let the zucchini sit on paper towels to absorb excess moisture while I prep the sauce.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
To Store: Once the zucchini lasagna has slightly cooled, store the leftovers in an airtight container. It will last for 3–5 days in the fridge.
To Freeze: To freeze, you can freeze the entire lasagna once it’s been baked! Simply wrap it up tightly. It can last a couple months in the freezer.
More zucchini recipes to try:
Want another lasagna recipe? You should try my Zucchini Lasagna Roll recipe, Zucchini Lasagna Skillet or my Slow Cooker Zucchini Lasagna recipes!! They’re packed with veggies and is easy to make too!
Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with the juice or 1¾ pounds of fresh tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced
- Salt and ground fresh black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 3 cups spinach
- 15 ounces part-skim ricotta
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 medium zucchini sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 16 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook 4-5 minutes until they are soft and golden. Add the garlic, and sauté, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the tomato paste and stir well.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, including the juice in case you are using canned tomatoes. Add salt and ground fresh black pepper. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Finally, remove from the heat, and add the fresh basil and spinach. Stir well. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Arrange the zucchini slices in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking oil spray. Broil for 5-8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Wait about 5 minutes to remove any excess moisture with paper towels if necessary. (This part is very important to avoid the lasagna becoming too soupy.)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir well.
- In a 9×13 casserole, spread some tomato-spinach sauce on the bottom. Layer 5 or 6 zucchini slices to cover. Place some of the ricotta cheese mixture on the zucchini slices, and top with some mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers until all your ingredients are used.
- Top with sauce and mozzarella.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Let stand about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley.
Notes
- This recipe was adapted from the site Skinny Taste.
- The amount of zucchinis you need will depend on the size of them. While larger ones are great, they are a bit more watery compared to smaller zucchinis.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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The marinara sauce in this recipe was one of the best I ever had! The lasagna fell apart a bit when serving but it was really delicious.
Thanks a lot for your comment, Rebecca. I am glad to know you liked this recipe 😉
Hello! I just finished making and eating this recipe and I loved it. I made some changes based on what I had. I used jarred Prego sauce (and I’m sure it would be more delicious if I stuck to the recipe!). I also made mine in a 9×9 and the zucchini fit perfectly. I used fat free ricotta since that is what I had and I added italian bread crumbs to the mix. It’s now one of my favorite recipes and I was so surprised how few calories it had when I calculated and logged it all into MyFitnessPal. Thanks for sharing this! I can’t wait to try out your other recipes.
You are very welcome, Jess. Thanks for stopping by and giving me your feedback 😉
First try was a hit! Can’t wait to make it again!
SO glad to here that. Thanks for your feedback 😉
Just made this. It was delicious and my husband had seconds. It did create quite a bit of liquid, though. Any ideas on how to prevent it from being lasagne soup?
You can grill your zucchini slices before you make the lasagna. It will help to reduce the liquid. Let me know if it helps 😉
Holy cow this was delicious. Followed the recipe to a T (except I used full fat ricotta and added even more spinach). Seriously amazing. My husband (reknowned meat eater) loved it too. Also good left over!
That’s awesome, Lesley! I am glad to know you guys enjoyed this recipe!
This recipe is delicious! My husband even loved it and he doesn’t generally like Italian food.
It did take me quite a bit longer than the listed time to make it. And if you add up the cooking times within the recipe, it doesn’t quite make 55 minutes, but it was well worth the late dinner! We loved it!
Glad to know you enjoyed this recipe!
is this good as a leftover? Or is it soggy?
It was a little more runny as leftovers, but it was also very delicious as leftovers.
I have an abundance of yellow summer squash. Do you think I could use it as a substitute for the zucchini?
Unfortunately I am not sure, Lynda. If you try, please let me know if it works 😉
I just made this for my family, and it was a huge hit! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. My little brother has requested it be made often, and he’s a huge meat-eater. My dad is as well, and they both thought it was amazing (and didn’t notice the omission). When I made it, however, it did come out of the oven a bit soupy, so we ate it in bowls, and it also took much longer to make than the 55 minutes listed. However, it was super delicious and totally worth it.
Hi, Kendra
Thanks a lot for your feedback. I am glad your family enjoy this recipe 😉
To avoid the lasagna to become soupy, try to grill the slices of zucchini before placing them in a casserole.
I made this tonight..amazing flavor , but I found mine came out very watery. I made sure my red sauce was nice and thick before making as I knew the zucchini would emit liquid. Pan tipped and Draining as I write this…to enjoy leftovers tomorrow
Thanks for your comment, Lori 😉
To avoid the lasagna to become soupy, try to grill the slices of zucchini before placing them in a casserole.
We’ve been wanting to make this for some time now, and we finally made it tonight for dinner, delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
SO glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your comment!
I’m going to try this. I just made meat spinach lasagna with zucchini noodles and it turned out well. In addition to grilling the zucchini slices to get rid of water, you can salt them on both sides, put them in a container, and stick them in the fridge for a couple of hours. You’ll be amazed how much water comes out of. Rinse and grill them and you’ve got your low-moisture zucchini lasagna noodles.
Wow thanks a lot for the tips! I’ll try that next time 😉
Can this be frozen? I’m trying to find healthy freezer meals before my little one comes and this looks delicious!
Yes, it can be frozen. No problem 😉
Should this be frozen before cooking or after?
You don’t need to freeze it before cooking. If you need or prefer, you can freeze it after cooking.
Just made this with a few adjustments – I added turkey and extra vegetables like celery and carrots. I also used bottled sauce because I had it and wanted to use it up 🙂
AMAZING! THANK YOU FOR SHARING! 🙂
Wow I love the idea of adding veggies in this recipe!! I am glad you enjoy it 😉
Currently in the oven as we speak… I ran out of ingredients (except I had heaps of zucchini left) after only two layers. I feel like something went wrong haha!
I tried this last night and it was so incredibly delicious.
I used 2 eggplants and 2 zucchinis instead of all zucchini. Big hit with the family.
Thank you!
This makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad you and your family tried and loved it. Thanks so much for stopping by to leave this lovely review 😉
I made this last night for dinner, my daughter and her fiancee are both on a keto diet. We all absolutely loved it!! I did however make the sauce with a pound of Italian sausage. We are meat eaters :). My daughter and I had the leftovers for lunch today and it was just as fabulous reheated!!!! Thank you so much for our new family favorite!!!
Sounds delicious your sauce with Italian sausage!! Thanks for your feedback 😉
Yummy!!! Just made this today. I broiled the zucchini as suggested, and it doesn’t seem watery at all. Time consuming to broil so much, but worth it. I also tripled the amount of basil and added some thyme and oregano. Next time I will try adding other vegetable – maybe mushrooms, red bell pepper? So good!
That’s awesome, Terry! So happy to know you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for stopping by 😉
I recently started a gluten free eating plan. This recipe is fabulous; lots of flavor and noodle free. Will be making this for my monthly dinner club. Winner !
Awesome!!!
Just made this recipe and it is wonderful! Even my husband liked it and went back for seconds. Just recently diagnosed with diabetes so am on low carb diet. Dont miss noodles! Will definitely make again!
Awesome! I’m so happy to here that. Thanks for your feedback 😉