Skillet Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Replacing the pasta with zucchini in this Skillet Zucchini Lasagna recipe makes a delicious, easy-to-assemble, gluten-free dish for family meals.

zucchini lasagna recipe collage pin with text

One of the things I love most about summer, along with garden flowers, is the great selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. Going to our farmers market is truly a delight. Here in the midwest, it’s zucchini season, so I figured it was the perfect time to whip up some zucchini lasagna. 

Zucchini lasagna is the same as traditional lasagna, except the pasta is replaced with long slices of zucchini. The bigger the zucchini, the bigger the slices! This can be a vegetarian dish by eliminating the meat in the pasta sauce. It’s also gluten-free.

zucchini lasagna skillet and plate with fork

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Skillet Zucchini Lasagna Tips:

  • If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any baking pan can be used. 
  • I used a jar of Prego pasta sauce, but any kind of sauce (especially homemade) would be good.
  • The measurements listed in the recipe card are guidelines. Just adjust the ingredient amounts to the size of your pan.
  • I sliced my zucchini with a large knife. It’s a little tricky to slice the zucchini the long way, so take your time and watch your fingers! If you have a mandoline slicer, that would work as well.
  • When you place the paper towel over the salted zucchini slices, the moisture will start to soak through immediately. Press the paper towel into the zucchini to drain out even more moisture.

Full Disclosure:

As always, I want to be completely honest about this recipe. It is delicious. It has so much taste and the basil gives it a lovely freshness. It is not, however, the prettiest thing to serve. It’s definitely necessary to let the lasagna rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes when it comes out of the oven. It’s also vital that you don’t skip the first step where the zucchini slices are drained on paper towel. Even with doing these two things, there is still extra moisture that appears when you cut the first piece. That’s just the nature of zucchini. After removing the first piece, let it drain for a minute or two, and then continue to cut your pieces. 

sliced zucchini on paper towel

When I was doing my research for this recipe, I read where some cooks grill the zucchini slices before they assemble the lasagna. This sounded like a lot of extra work, so I chose to skip that and take my chances. This skillet zucchini lasagna has a lighter, fresher taste than a traditional recipe and using zucchini eliminates the pasta, plus adds a helping of vegetables. And in my book, those are two very good things!

skillet zucchini lasagna recipe fi

Skillet Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Replacing the pasta with zucchini in this Skillet Zucchini Lasagna recipe makes a delicious, easy-to-assemble, gluten-free dish for family meals.
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
4.67 from 3 votes
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 medium zucchini
  • 1 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
  • 1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef, chicken, or turkey if desired
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Fresh basil chopped
  • 1 16 oz. container ricotta cheese
  • 1 Egg
  • 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Slice zucchini the long way, about 1/8 inch thick.
  • Place zucchini slices on paper towel. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover with more paper towel. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  • While zucchini is draining, prepare sauce.
  • If you are using meat, brown it in a saucepan and drain. If not, go to the next step.
  • Combine meat (if using,) pasta sauce, garlic powder, and chopped basil. Stir to combine. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese.
  • Lightly coat a 12 inch heavy skillet with olive oil.
  • Spread half of the pasta sauce/meat mixture on bottom of skillet.
  • Add zucchini slices in one layer.
  • Spread half the ricotta mixture over the zucchini.
  • Top ricotta with half the mozzarella.
  • Repeat the layering steps: sauce/meat, zucchini, ricotta mixture, mozzarella.
  • Bake covered for 25 minutes.
  • Remove cover and bake 10 minutes more. Cheese should be lightly browned and edges should be bubbly.
  • Remove from oven and let sit 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Slice and serve.

Notes

Instead of draining the zucchini on paper towels, the slices can be grilled or baked in the oven. 
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Recipe Rating




19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My kind of recipe. The local farm stand is brimming with zucchini and this recipe goes in my binder and next up in the skillet.

  2. When my husband was in rehab, his roommate told everyone that zucchini grew in brown paper bags because he frequently found a brown paper bag filled with zucchini on his front porch. His wife made zucchini bread or muffins all summer and froze them.

  3. We are on a low carb diet, and I think this recipe will be great to add to our menu! My husband loves lasagna so this sounds like a win win for us.
    Thanks for sharing!

  4. 5 stars
    Very good, I actually sliced my zucchini in rounds and it made it easy to serve. Thanks for a yummy recipe.

  5. This looks wonderful. Going to make it tonight

  6. I’m not even up for the day and my mouth is watering for this….. thanks for sharing. Love your posts!!

  7. Hi, Ann! Just another thought to remedy the water issue with zucchini is to lay it flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake on low for about 10 min. I do this with eggplant when I make eggplant parmesan and it works great! It is one more step but it makes the end result so much better. 🤗

    1. Sharon,
      What temp do you use?

      1. I usually use a low temp, like 250 degrees and keep an eye on them. 😉

  8. Could I use yellow crookneck squash instead?

  9. I tried this recipe on Monday and it was a huge hit! Great flavor! I have to ask, do you have a good stuffed pepper recipe?

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Hi Jen! Glad you liked the lasagna. No…I have never made stuffed peppers! If you find a good recipe, let us know. Thank you!

  10. Wanda McDaniel says:

    I wonder if I could use eggplant instead of zucchini?

  11. Printed- and can’t wait to try this recipe ! Thank you Ann❣️

  12. Lynne Beattie says:

    This sounds delicious! Going to try this week! Thanks for sharing.

  13. I will definitely try this Ann. We have plenty of Zucchini and it will be nice to make something different.

  14. This looks and sounds delicious.

  15. This looks good and will have to give it a try. Thank you.