We love lasagna around here – in fact, I always used to follow this recipe when I made one. But, since I try to eat as clean and healthy as possible (especially on weeknights), I challenged myself to make a healthier lasagna…using zucchini as “noodles.” I found a slow cooker recipe that looked good, but then I needed to whip one up in a pinch, so I improvised and made my own recipe that I can’t wait to share with you below. It’s so good!
My girls are actually not a fan of zucchini, nor is my husband, but they all willingly eat it in this zucchini lasagna! I️ honestly think zucchini takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in (spices, sauces, etc.) so it’s tolerable for even the pickiest eaters. The trick is to try and slice the zucchini as thinly as possible so it doesn’t get overly mushy in the oven. Also, like most Italian foods, I️ think this dish is even better warmed up the next day!
Ingredients
- For the meat sauce:
- 1lb Ground Turkey or Turkey Sausage
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs sugar (or stevia)
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbs basil
- 2 tbs oregano
- 2 tbs parsley
- For the "cheese":
- 1/4 cup flour (you could try to sub almond flour to make this Whole30 compatible)
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- Dash of salt
- 2 cups almond or coconut milk
- 1.5 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 tbs olive oil
- For the "noodles":
- 2-3 medium zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper and grease liberally with olive oil.
- Chop ends off zucchini and then slice thinly (about 1/8" thick) lengthwise.
- Lay strips on baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil and top with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes in preheated oven, then remove and allow to cool a bit.
- While the zucchini is cooking, combine the flour, nutritional yeast and salt in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of milk (of your choice), stirring until well combined. Add the remaining milk, vinegar and olive oil and stir until smooth. Place over medium heat to cook, stirring constantly until it thickens (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground turkey or sausage to cook until browned.
- Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, olive oil, sugar and spices. Stir to combine. Allow meat sauce to simmer for a few minutes, then remove from heat.
- Grease a 13x9 pan with olive oil.
- Add 1.5-2 cups of meat sauce to bottom of pan. Then, add a layer of your roasted zucchini slices (the same as you would with lasagna noodles). Next, top with half of the "cheese" sauce.
- Repeat layers, starting with meat sauce, then zucchini noodles, then the other half of the "cheese" sauce. Top with remaining meat sauce.
- Place in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
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This looks really good. My family loves lasagna and this could be a nice change from our usual one.
Awesome! I hope you guys enjoy – let me know what you think!