Grilled Zucchini Lasagna

posted by Kalyn Denny on September 4, 2020

Grilled Zucchini Lasagna uses thick slices of barely-grilled zucchini instead of noodles for a low-carb and gluten-free version of lasagna! This is a favorite zucchini dish I look forward to every fall, and it can easily be vegetarian if you don’t add the sausage!

PIN Grilled Zucchini Low-Carb Lasagna to make it later!

This recipe for Grilled Zucchini Lasagna is for vegetable gardeners who might be wondering how to use those huge zucchinis that suddenly seem to appear overnight when the garden is winding down. For years I’ve been making “lasagna” using zucchini in place of the lasagna noodles, and this is one of my favorite uses for those monster zucchinis so I’m reminding you about it for Friday Favorites this week to entice you to try it! 

Grilling the zucchini removes some of the liquid that might otherwise make the lasagna too watery, and if you don’t have an outdoor grill you could certainly do this step on a stove-top grill pan (affiliate link). Of course, using zucchini instead of pasta makes a delicious version of lasagna that’s low in carbs, gluten-free, and South Beach Diet friendly, and it can also be vegetarian if you don’t add sausage to the sauce! 

How to Make Grilled Zucchini Lasagna:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe plus nutritional information.)

1. I use lengthwise slices of zucchini about 5/8 inch thick.
2. Brush the zucchini slices on both sides with olive oil, adding a sprinkle of Italian Herb Blend if you’d like.
3. Grill on the first side until you have nice grill marks, about 3-4 minutes. Then turn and cook a few minutes on the second side, until the zucchini is partially cooked but not completely soft.
4. I used to make this with my Sausage and Basil Marinara Sauce, but now I’d use Rao’s Pasta Sauce (affiliate link) which has only 20 carbs in the whole jar. Use a sauce with meat or a meatless sauce, whichever you prefer. Simmer the sauce a few minutes to evaporate some of the water so you have a thick sauce.)
5. Spread the cooked zucchini out on a large cutting board and use a paper towel to press down and remove as much liquid as you can.
6. Beat the eggs and then mix in the cottage cheese. (Don’t skip the eggs; they help hold this together.)
7. Spray the baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray and then make a layer of the grilled zucchini.
8. Cover that with half the sauce, about 1 cups of the thick sauce, or a little more if you didn’t simmer it.
9. Then make a layer with half the cottage cheese mixture, followed by a layer with half the cheese. 
10. Repeat to make another layer each of grilled zucchini, sauce, cottage cheese-egg mixture, and cheese.
11. Bake at 400F/200C for 30-40 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is starting to brown. I baked mine uncovered so water would evaporate, but you can cover with foil towards the end of the cooking time if it starts to look too brown.
12. This will be juicier than regular lasagna, so let it sit at least 10-15 minutes before cutting.

More Recipes to Use Up the Zucchini:

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Zucchini Recipes ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Ratatouille
Low-Carb Salads with Zucchini
Flourless Zucchini Muffins
Six Spectacular Low-Carb Soups with Zucchini 

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grilled Zucchini Lasagna will be much lower in carbs than traditional lasagna when it’s made with low-sugar pasta sauce like Rao’s Pasta Sauce (affiliate link). However even low-sugar sauce has some carbs and there are carbs in the cottage cheese, so this recipe is probably not Keto. For anyone who’s following the original South Beach Diet, this should be made with reduced fat dairy products for South Beach. This does have a fairly generous amount of cheese, so even though this would be okay for any phase of South Beach, it’s probably a personal choice treat for Phase One.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Zucchini Recipes for more ideas to use that zucchini or use Oven Dinners to find more recipes like this one!Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.