Zucchini Lasagna with a Bolognese Meat Sauce

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This zucchini lasagna is one of my favorite adaptations of the classic Italian dish. Thinly sliced zucchini makes for the perfect noodle substitute and then layered with a ground meat and sausage bolognese sauce, will give you that comfort dish feeling without all the heavy carbs.

While I love just about everything Italian such as bread, pasta and of course pizza, we can find ourselves sometimes eating a tad too many carbs. Don’t get me wrong, I love carbs! However, sometimes we just want something a little lighter that still offers that same comfort feeling you get from a good pasta dish.

That is where zucchini lasagna comes in! It has all the great flavors from a meat bolognese sauce then layered between thin slices of zucchini. It really is the perfect balance between healthy and comfort food.

Tips for Making Zucchini Lasagna

1. Slice the zucchini about 1/8″ thick. Zucchini is full of water so this dish will naturally be a tad on the watery side. Slicing them around 1/8″ thick will ensure they don’t get too soggy.

2. Reduce down all the liquid in the bolognese. When you bake the lasagna it will naturally have some liquid from the zucchini. It’s important to make sure your sauce is nice and thick with no standing liquid. The zucchini is unable to absorb the excess liquid like a pasta would. If you are unable to reduce all the liquid, just drain before assembling the layers or scoop using a slotted spoon.

3. Use crushed tomatoes. Diced tomatoes have a lot of liquid so I recommend using crushed tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes have a creamier texture which will help reduce the liquid in this dish.

Here is what you will need:

Ingredients

For the bolognese meat sauce:

• 1lb Ground Meat (beef, venison, and turkey are all great choices)
• 1lb Italian Sausage
• 2 Tbl Olive Oil
• 1/2 Large Onion
• 1 Large Carrot – Diced
• 2-3 Ribs of Celery – Diced
• 3 Garlic
• 1 – 15oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 – 6oz Can Tomato Paste
• 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp of the following:’
  • Salt
  • Dried Basil
  • Dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Pepper

For the Layers

• 3-4 Medium Zucchini – Diced 1/8 thickness with a mandolin slicer
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley – Chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare All Your Ingredients

Chop all the veggies, garlic, parsley and slice the zucchini.

I recommend a thickness of 1/8″ for the zucchini. If it is to thin they can get really soggy when baked.

I prefer to use my mandolin slicer to get the perfect slices of zucchini. You can set your thickness and each one comes out perfectly uniform.

2. Prepare the Bolognese

Start off by heating a cast iron or other skillet and once warm, add the olive oil.

Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the carrots and celery and continue to sauté until soft. About another 4-5 minutes. Add in garlic for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Once all the veggies are soft, add in the ground meat and sausage and cook until browned. Around 10 minutes. Drain off all excess grease before moving forward.

Add in the canned tomatoes, seasoning and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and allow all the liquid to reduce down. Pour off any excess and prepare to layer the pan.

3. Assemble the Layers

In a 9×13 pan assemble the first layer of zucchini by laying them along the short width of the pan. Make sure each slice slightly overlaps each other.

Take just over a cup of the meat sauce and spread evenly over the zucchini.

Repeat that step for a total of 3 layers.

Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35-45 min. The last 5 minutes or so take the foil off and allow cheese to fully melt.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 min before serving.

This dish makes for great left overs and will last covered in the fridge for a few days.

Related Recipes:

I love using fresh produce to make popular dishes a little healtheir. You can see my other posts such as:

Zucchini Tuna Melts

Sweet Potato Shepherds’ Pie

Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos

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Lodge 15″ Cast Iron Pan

If you try this recipe I would love to hear about it! Leave me a comment or tag me on Instagram @dirt.dough

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