I made this Beef Zucchini Lasagna last week, and it was so good! The best part about this lasagna recipe is it is loaded with yummy vegetables in the sauce and noodles, which are actually thinly sliced zucchini.
For the Beef Zucchini Lasagna sauce, I used my butternut spaghetti sauce as the base. I love tossing in pureed butternut or buttercup squash because orange squashes contain a powerhouse of nutrients such as carotenoids (shown to protect against heart disease), beta-carotene (protects against breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration), vitamin C (anti-oxidant fighter and reduces the risk of inflammation from auto-immune disorders).
Anyway, my family told me four times that this is some good lasagna!
The Best Beef Zucchini Lasagna (It’s SO GOOD!)
The best part about this Beef Zucchini Lasagna is that it is loaded with yummy thinly sliced zucchini in the sauce and noodles.
Ingredients
3 cups Marinara sauce (tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions – pasta sauce in southern hemisphere for Italian seafood dish) - try my butternut spaghetti sauce
2 pounds ground beef (minced beef) - if using your own sauce
2 cups cottage cheese - find a brand without carrageenan
1 cup Greek yogurt - plain
1 cup Parmesan cheese
3 medium egg
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup basil - finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 large zucchini - thinly sliced with a food processor or mandoline
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sea salt over the thinly sliced zucchini. Assemble a metal cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Place the zucchini on top of the cooling rack and let it sit for 1-2 hours to allow some of the water to drain out of the vegetables. The salt will work to make this process happen and helps to avoid lasagna soup.
- After two hours, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Brown ground beef over medium heat in a large frying pan (not necessary if you are using my Butternut Spaghetti Squash recipe since it already calls for ground beef).
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and remaining spices until combined. Set aside.
- Using a glass 13×9 pan, start the lasagna assembly by placing 1 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Top with lasagna, cheese mixture, and more sauce. Repeat this process one more time, and then add the mozzarella cheese to the top layer.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil. Leave the lasagna under the broiler for another 5 minutes to brown up the cheese. Watch carefully, though, because the cheese can burn quickly.
- Allow the lasagna to cool for 25-30 minutes before serving. You can eat it early if you are in a time crunch, but waiting allows some of the moisture to be absorbed.
Nutrition
Calories: 453kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 37gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 1400mgPotassium: 1091mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1156IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 355mgIron: 4mg
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