In my pre-fit girl life, I loved me some pasta. Now, I’d rather eat a waffle for those carbs – but the craving sometimes comes back. The fix? Zucchini lasagna, complete with all the gooey cheese and rich meat of the pasta version, but none of the guilt (extra points for the serious protein macros here!). My version uses 93/7 lean ground beef or 99/1 lean ground turkey instead of its fattier Italian sausage counterpart, cottage cheese in the place of ricotta, and of course, zucchini noodles. Each serving (1/4 dish) is 7.3f / 13.5c / 40p. Your macros will vary based on the type of cottage cheese, cheese, sauce, etc. that you use.
ZUCCHINI LASAGNA WITH COTTAGE CHEESE
Servings: 4
Time: 1 hour, 20 min
Ingredients:
- 2 medium zucchinis, sliced thin
- 1lb lean ground beef or turkey breast
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2c tomato sauce
- 1T chopped fresh basil
- 1c low fat whipped ricotta (although small curd will work)
- 3T egg whites
- 1/2c + 1/4c shredded skim milk mozzarella
- Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375.
Using a mandolin, thinly slice the zucchini. Blot with paper towels to absorb excess water.
In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef (or turkey) with a bit of garlic. When cooked, drain in a colander to remove excess fat. Return the meat to the pan and mix in jarred tomato sauce, basil, oregano, salt and/or pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, mix together cottage cheese, egg whites, mozzarella, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Add a small layer of ground beef + sauce mixture to the bottom of an 8×8 glass baking dish, just enough to coat. Place a layer of zucchini “noodles” with some overlap. Then add a layer of the cottage cheese mixture, followed by a layer of meat + sauce. Add another layer of noodles and repeat with cottage cheese and meat + sauce layers until the dish is nearly full, reserving a small amount of sauce.
Add a final layer of zucchini. Top with remaining meat + sauce. Scatter the top with 1/4c shredded mozzarella (I skipped this in the photos below, but usually include).
Cover with aluminum foil and place over a baking sheet (to prevent drips into your oven). Bake covered for 45 minutes at 375. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. Slice and enjoy!
The first time I made this, I grilled the zucchini lasagna sheets on a grill pan to reduce the water. When I’m short on time, that’s the first step I skip. The result is, yes, a little watery, but served in a bowl, it tastes just as delicious!
