Little Bit Savory: Zucchini Lasagna

What if I told you that you can have a big piece of lasagna without also getting a HUGE amount of saturated fat, calories, and carbs?  Interested?

Oh, and it’s also vegetarian friendly!  Double yay!

There are a LOT of zucchini lasagna recipes online, but I wanted to create one of my own that was packed full of vegetables.  Why?  Well, I needed to use up some of the veggies from my co-op basket! (Click here to check out my co-op experience)

So I will say that this is not an exact copy cat of your favorite lasagna.  But it is really yummy and a healthier alternative that gives you a new way to get your veggie servings.

Zucchini Lasagna

Makes 4 servings

• 2 medium carrots, peeled
• 4 stalks asparagus, woody ends removed
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1-2 stalks celery, ends removed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2/3 cup frozen soy crumbles (I use Boca)
• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 cups marinara sauce (I used Hunt’s traditional canned sauce)
• 2/3 cup fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel zucchini and slice thinly with a mandolin slicer or knife, about 1/8″ thickness. Sprinkle zucchini with a little salt to draw out the moisture, and place on paper towels or in a colander to drain.

Chop carrots, asparagus, onion, and celery into small, evenly sized pieces. Heat oil in a large, sided skillet.  (Really, just choose a pan that will accommodate all the veggies and sauce.)

Add chopped vegetables and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add frozen Boca crumbles, garlic and seasonings to taste; heat through, stirring occasionally.

Once the sauce mixture is heated through, place a small amount of mixture in the bottom of a 9X9 inch baking pan. Pat zucchini slices dry with a towel, then place a layer of the zucchini slices in the pan.

Then, layer the following on top of the zucchini slices:

1. 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, spread over zucchini
2. 1/3 remaining sauce mixture
3. Zucchini slices
4. 1/4 cup ricotta
5. Sauce mizture
6. Zucchini slices
7. Remaining sauce mixture
8. Mozzarella cheese

Cover lasagna with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake additional 10-15 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted and bubbling.

(Roughly) Estimated nutrition information:  205 Calories, 6g Fat, 1.9g Saturated fat, 23g Carbohydrates, 7.6g Fiber, 11g Sugar, 15.3g Protein   (Plus 40% DV Vitamin A, 53% DV Vitamin C, 33% DV Calcium, and 13.7% DV Iron!)

I will admit I’m still fine tuning this recipe.  The first time I made it, there was too much liquid…likely because I didn’t dry the zucchini slices well.

Made it and have some suggestions for improvement?  Please share!

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