Healthy zucchini lasagna with quinoa is a delicious gluten free and healthy weeknight meal. It’s packed with nutrition and lower in carbs than typical lasagna. (gluten free, dairy free options)
My love affair with zucchini continues with this recipe for lasagna made with it! Zucchini is a versatile vegetable and a good source of vitamin C, A, B vitamins and minerals like magnesium, potassium, and manganese.
What is healthy zucchini lasagna with quinoa?
It’s simply lasagna made with zucchini instead of noodles with quinoa added for more protein and fiber!
Traditional lasagna is high in carbs and low in protein with little to no fiber. Sure, the pasta and cheese makes you full but it’s not doing you any favors in the nutrition department. This healthy zucchini lasagna is lower in carbs from using zucchini, higher in fiber from the zucchini and quinoa and higher in protein from the combination of quinoa and cheese. I cup of zucchini has less than 4 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber, whereas 1 cup of spaghetti has 43 gram of carbs and 0 grams of fiber!
I’m definitely not the pasta police, and do enjoy really good Italian food on occasion, but if I’m making lasagna at home you better believe I am upping the nutrition!
Quinoa is a great source of plant-based protein and my go-to grain in salads. It adds to the heartiness of this lasagna!
Tips for making zucchini lasagna with quinoa
To ensure the recipe doesn’t turn out overly “wet” pat dry the cut zucchini with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
Another reason why I like zucchini so much is that it goes great with pumpkin! If you’re a fan of both like I am be sure to check out this recipe for paleo pumpkin zucchini banana bars!
Healthy Zucchini Lasagna with Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup tricolor or white quinoa
- 3 medium sized with medium thickness zucchini or yellow squash
- 1 cup marinara sauce I like this one especially!
- 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on top optional
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp. Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. pepper helps the body absorb turmeric better!
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
- Wash and rinse zucchini and cut the top off. Using a mandoline slicer, slice the zucchini into thin strips and place strips on a sheet of paper towel. Continue with remaining zucchini and yellow squash. Use paper towels to squeeze out extra moisture from the zucchini.
- In a small bowl combine egg plus ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, turmeric and black pepper and salt (the mixture will be bright yellow from the turmeric!). Whisk until combined. In another bowl mix of quinoa and ¼ cup marinara sauce together.
- Cover the bottom of a 9-in glass skillet with marinara sauce (you can also use a cast iron skillet or a glass pie dish to make this lasagna circular like I did).
- Add a layer of zucchini, then a layer of quinoa, then a thin layer of turmeric ricotta (the back of a spoon works well to spread it. Add another layer of zucchini and repeat with remaining ingredients. You should end with zucchini on top. Spread a little more marinara sauce on top just to cover and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Layers go like so: zucchini, quinoa, turmeric ricotta.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then cover with aluminum foil and back for another 10 minutes.
- Enjoy on top of greens of on the side of baked chicken or fish. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
Notes
xoxo
Maggie
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This lasagna looks great! I’m so excited to taste zucchini with quinoa.