articles

Healthier Cooking: How to Make a Delicious Pasta-Free Lasagna

Zucchini strips replace the noodles in this delicious lasagna

By Gwendolyn Dattage, publisher of Macaroni Kid St. George, Utah May 9, 2019

We have been trying to add more vegetables to our family meals, and sometimes it takes a bit of creativity! 

Our latest attempt was a huge success: A pasta-free zucchini lasagna that my kids love! 

Lasagna is a favorite at our house. My kids love it, my husband loves it, and it never lasts long enough for there to even be leftovers. It is one of our go-to recipes and we make it almost weekly. Finding a way to make this delicious dinner healthier was a challenge, but zucchini definitely rose to the occasion. The best part about this? If you already have a favorite lasagna recipe, just substitute zucchini for the noodles and you're set! 

Here is how we made ours:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground hamburger or turkey
  • 2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz)
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 3-4 whole zucchini (sliced thinly)
  • 3/4 lb mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 c parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Slice zucchini into long slices.

2. Brown hamburger with a little oil.

3. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, and garlic to the hamburger.

4. Layer, in a 9x13 pan, zucchini, tomato mixture, and finally the mozzarella cheese. Do this twice.

5. Add parmesan cheese on top.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

I have found that I do tend to eat a little more when it is zucchini instead of noodles because without the pasta it isn't quite as filling. For my family of four, this is perfect, but if you have a large family consider doubling the recipe.

Have you looked at your favorite family meals to consider how you can incorporate more vegetables into the menu? I bet you can find lots of ways to sneak in veggies that are sure to be a healthy hit for everyone!

Gwendolyn Dattage is the publisher of Macaroni Kid St. George, Utah.

LIKE THIS ARTICLESandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Doraville, Atlanta, and Perimeter. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Doraville, Atlanta, and Perimeter! Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid is full of useful local information like this PLUS tons of kid-friendly events on our event calendar. Have an event you'd like submitted to our calendar for consideration? Submit an event hereLike what you see here and want to get all the fun delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to our FREE weekly e-newsletter for 411 on the local family fun. You can find Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.