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This zucchini lasagna with meat sauce and mushrooms is a baked no noodle lasagna made with layers of sliced zucchini, ground beef meat sauce, melted cheese, and sautéed mushrooms. It’s naturally gluten free and can easily be made dairy free. It is healthy lasagna heaven!
I’ve jumped on the zucchini bandwagon. I love zucchini egg muffins, zucchini and eggplant casserole, and this zucchini mushroom lasagna. I love the taste of using zucchini to replace pasta in lasagna. It adds a nice and subtle veggie taste and crunch.
Since there are no noddles in this recipe, it is naturally gluten free. It can also easily be made dairy-free and Paleo if you cut out the dairy, which is an option provided in this recipe. Oh and if you like mushroom recipes, try my mushroom risotto.
Table of Contents
- Why this recipe works
- Recipe ingredients
- Additions/ Substitutions
- Step by step instructions
- Recipe FAQs
- Other healthy lasagna recipes you’ll love:
- Zucchini Lasagna with Meat Sauce and Mushrooms (gluten-free, dairy-free option) Recipe
Why this recipe works
- It is a delicious no noodle lasagna recipe option. This is a great way to sneak in veggies in lasagna form.
- It is easy to put together.
- It is a filling high protein recipe. Try my bison bolognese for another high protein recipe.
- You can make it Paleo. Just omit the dairy and add nutritional yeast.
- You can make it dairy free. Use a non dairy yogurt or cheese option.
Recipe ingredients
- zucchini– medium to large sized zucchini work best here.
- onion– this is used to season the sauce.
- garlic– this seasons the sauce.
- red pepper– orange or red bell peppers work here.
- ground beef– a good quality organic ground beef.
- dried rosemary– this helps season the meat sauce.
- honey– any type of honey works here.
- tomato paste– this adds great flavor to the meat sauce.
- chopped tomatoes– this makes the base of the meat sauce.
- strained tomatoes– this is also the base of the meat sauce.
- dried oregano– this adds an Italian seasoning to the sauce.
- dried basil-this also adds an Italian seasoning to the sauce.
- baby Bella mushrooms– or any type of mushroom of your choice.
- goat cheese or greek yogurt– I use either one interchangeably here.
- egg– this is used to mix into the cheese mixture for the cheese layer of the lasagna.
- shredded goat cheddar or Parmesan– this creates the melty cheese layer of this lasagna.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
- Instead of chopped and strained tomatoes, you can use tomato marinara.
- If you don’t like mushrooms, you can omit them.
- Instead of goat cheese, you can use greek yogurt.
- Instead of a goat cheese or greek yogurt, you can use a non dairy cream cheese, like the one form Kite Hill.
- Instead of shredded cheese, you can use a non dairy cheese.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Slice the zucchini.
How to slice zucchini for lasagna: You can use a mandolin to slice them OR you can just slice them by hand, like I did. All you need to do is cut a zucchini in half and then create slices from each half. As you can see, the slices are made are not perfect nor are they too thin.
Step 2: Salt zucchini to get rid of excess moisture. This is an important step because you don’t want your lasagna to have extra liquid in it from the zucchini.
Step 3: Make the meat sauce. You’ll cook the onion and garlic, then add the beef and cook until browned. Add the tomato paste, then strained and crushed tomatoes, along with spices.
Step 4: Sauté themushrooms in a pan.
Step 5: Mix thegoat cheese andegg together.
Step 6: Add a zucchini layer to the pan.
Step 7: Add a layer of meat sauce on top.
Step 8: Add another layer of zucchini slices.
Step 9: Add the layer of the egg /cheese mixture and mushrooms.
Step 10: Add a layer of shredded cheese.
Step 11: Bake!
Recipe FAQs
Why is my zucchini lasagna watery?
It wasn’t salted! You have to add salt to the layers and wait at least 15 minutes before wiping off the excess moisture. This ensures the extra liquid from zucchini doesn’t go into your lasagna.
How do you slice zucchini for lasagna?
You can use a mandolin to slice them OR you can just slice them by hand, like I did. All you need to do is cut a zucchini in half and then create slices from each half. As you can see, the slices are made are not perfect nor are they too thin.
How do you store it?
Cover the pan in aluminum foil and then refrigerate for 3 days.
Other healthy lasagna recipes you’ll love:
If zucchini lasagna is your thing, check out this amazing looking Keto Lasagna with Zucchini Noodles from That’s Low Carb?!
This Easy Gluten-free Lasagna from Meaningful Eats is a bomb bolognese gluten-free lasagna recipe. It looks so good!
And if you want an eggplant alternative, check out these Marinara Baked Eggplant Slices by Heartbeet Kitchen. It looks just delightful!
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
4.89 from 9 votes
Zucchini Lasagna with Meat Sauce and Mushrooms (gluten-free, dairy-free option)
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 55 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Layers of beautifully seasoned meat sauce, sliced zucchini, melted goat cheese, and sautéed mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 3 medium-large zucchini, (buy 4 just in case you need a few extra slices)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 cup white onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs +2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef, (or ground turkey)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 Tbs of honey
- 4 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup strained tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbs dried oregano
- 1 Tbs dried basil
- 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup shredded goat cheddar or parmesan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the zucchini:
Cut three zucchini in half horizontally. Then slice each half to create thin lasagna like slices. Cover a cookie sheet in paper towels and lay the slices of the zucchini side by side on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt onto the zucchini and then set them aside.
Make the meat sauce:
Put 1 Tbs of olive oil and the minced onion and garlic in a large pot and heat over medium heat. Mix with a spatula every so often and cook for 5 minutes.
Then add the diced red pepper to the pan, mix, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the ground beef to the pan and top with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1/2 tsp of rosemary, and 2 Tbs of honey. Mix everything into the ground beef and let it all cook for 5 minutes, while mixing from time to time.
Add 4 Tbs of tomato paste and mix it into the meat.
Then put 1 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes, 1 1/2 cup of strained tomatoes, 1/4 cup of water, 1 Tbs oregano, and 1 Tbs of basil into the pot and mix everything together well.
Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes. Set the meat sauce aside when it’s done.
Check on the zucchini:
While the meat sauce is cooking, wipe the excess moisture that has formed on top of the zucchini slices with paper towels.
Flip them over.
Make the cheese mixture:
Mix the goat cheese and the egg together in a small bowl and set aside.
Note: this is an optional step. Leave the cheese out if you want to make this strictly paleo or dairy-free. Instead mix 1-2 Tbs nutritional yeast into the egg.
Prepare the mushrooms
Put 2 tsp of olive oil into a large pan and heat over medium-high on the stove.
Put the sliced mushrooms into the pan and mix everything around to distribute the olive oil.
Cook for about 10-13 minutes, mixing every so often, until the mushrooms are browned and sautéed.
Layer the lasagna:
Wipe the excess moisture off of the zucchini slices one more time.
Then, put 1/2 of the meat sauce into a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Cover the meat sauce with 1/2 of the zucchini slices.
Top the zucchini slices with 1/2 of the goat cheese mixture.
Top with 1/2 of the sauteed mushrooms.
Repeat with the rest of the meat sauce, zucchini slices, goat cheese mixture, and mushrooms.
Top everything with 1/2 cup of shredded goat cheddar or parmesan.
Cook:
Cover the pan in foil and cook for 45 minutes on the lower shelf of the oven.
Remove the foil and then set the oven to broil. Cook the lasagna for another 10 minutes (check the lasagna often because some ovens are stronger than others).
Remove when the top of the lasagna is golden.
Let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
- Instead of chopped and strained tomatoes, you can use tomato marinara.
- If you don’t like mushrooms, you can omit them.
- Instead of goat cheese, you can use greek yogurt.
- Instead of a goat cheese or greek yogurt, you can use a non dairy cream cheese, like the one form Kite Hill.
- Instead of shredded cheese, you can use a non dairy cheese.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 391kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 27gFat: 26gPotassium: 530mgFiber: 4.6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2350IUVitamin C: 53.6mgCalcium: 140mgIron: 3.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
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