Zucchini Ground Chicken Lasagna
Crispy, bubbly, cheesy and delicious this zucchini ground chicken lasagna is perfect any night of the week. The intermittent layers of zucchini and pasta give this dish a Healthyish twist that’s so tasty. I also used ground chicken, mushrooms, and onions to add some extra lean protein. Feel free to use your favorite jarred red sauce or my quick homemade red sauce, either option will work fine for this recipe.
About this Ground Chicken Lasagna Recipe
This zucchini ground chicken lasagna recipe does take some time to prepare. It’s very important that you sweat the zucchini strips before layering them into the dish. This will help prevent the dish from being too watery. You also need to let the entire dish rest for 30 minutes before slicing it. This will prevent the lasagna from falling apart when you slice it.
I used my mandoline to slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick strips. This tool will help ensure that all of the zucchini slices are the same thickness and cook evenly. When prepping the pasta, be sure to cook it al dente. The pasta sheets will continue to cook in the oven, so you dont want them to be too mushy when assembling this dish.
Enjoy this dish with a side salad and a slice of buttered bread. This recipe makes 9 light servings. Please see below for the nutritional information.
Storage
Store any leftover zucchini ground chicken lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through. Looking for more pasta recipes? Try my summer pasta with zucchini corn and squash.
Zucchini Ground Chicken Lasagna
Ingredients
Pasta and Zucchini:
- 8 lasagna pasta sheets, short cut wide pasta 3×6.5 inches
- 3 medium zucchinis, sliced thin, salted
- salt, to sweat out the moisture from the zucchini
Chicken Mixture:
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced, about 2 cloves
- 1 cup sweet onion , diced
- 8 ounces baby bell mushrooms , roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cheese Mixture:
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 cups ricotta cheese, part-skim
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Quick Red Sauce
- 3 cups red sauce , jarred is fine
Equipment
- pasta pot
- 9×13-inch metal baking dish
- baking tray
- sauce pot
- mixing bowl
- 11-inch skillet
- mandoline
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray an 9×13-inch metal baking dish with cooking spray. Set it aside.
Prepare the pasta sheets:
- Boil a pot of water and cook the lasagna sheets according to the package. I made 8 sheets. Al dente is best as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
- Drain off the water using a colander and drizzle the pasta with olive oil to prevent sticking. Set them aside.
Prepare the zucchini strips:
- Using your mandoline, slice the zucchini into ¼-inch thick strips. Line the strips on a baking tray and generously salt the strips. You’ll need about 32 strips for this recipe.
- Let the strips sit for 30-40 minutes before rinsing them with fresh water and patting them dry with a paper towel. You’ll want to make sure you’ve removed as much moisture as possible.
Prepare the sauce:
- Heat your favorite red sauce in a sauce pot over the stove.
Prepare the chicken mixture:
- While the zucchini strips are sweating out their moisture, we will prepare the chicken mixture.
- In an 11-inch skillet add the olive oil, garlic and onion.
- Sweat until translucent.
- Next, you’ll add the ground chicken and roughly chopped mushrooms. Cook until the chicken begins to brown.
- Remove from the heat and set it aside.
Prepare the cheese mixture:
- In a mixing bowl combine, egg, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir using a whisk or spoon. Set aside.
Assemble the dish:
- Ladle two scoops of sauce into the prepared 9×13-inch metal baking dish.
- Add one layer of zucchini. Top it with the ground chicken mixture and a few dollops of the cheese mixture.
- Next, you’ll add a layer of pasta noodles and top them with more sauce.
- Repeat this process until the dish is full.
- Top everything with some sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake covered for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes to get the cheese extra bubbly.
- Top with your favorite garnishes like fresh chopped Italian parsley, grated parmesan, red pepper flakes.
- Let the entire dish stand for 25-30 minutes before slicing. This will prevent it from falling apart.
- Serve and enjoy.
5 Comments on “Zucchini Ground Chicken Lasagna”
This was delicious. It was a bit time consuming. I had zucchini from last summer in slices (frozen) by the time I thawed them, sweated them, dried them…. well it took a 1/2 roll of paper towels. Anyway, I will probably use fresh next time. I will definitely use this recipe again!
I only wish I could find the nutritional information (calories) so that I can scan into my food app, sure would make it a lot easier.
This is one of my families favorite recipes!! My kids can be super picky and even they loved this!! It’s sooo tasty, and very filling in the best way possible! You don’t feel guilty like you do after a super heavy traditional lasagna, but you’re still ohhhhh so happy!
This dish is so delicious and complete meal in a single serving.
Enjoy! You will be making this over and over again !
I was wondering if anybody ever made this I had the night before and baked it the day after? Does the zucchini get soggy? I always roast the zucchini strips before I put them in anyway. Thank you for your feedback
I’ve never tried that…