Description
This easy healthy lasagna recipe combines lean ground beef, fresh zucchini and summer squash, and a hearty tomato sauce layered with low-fat cottage cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella. It’s a lighter take on classic lasagna that’s packed with flavor and perfect for a nutritious family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Vegetables
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion (chopped)
- 2 cups finely diced zucchini (about 2 small or 1 medium/large zucchini)
- 1 cup finely diced summer squash (about 1 medium/large summer squash)
Tomato Sauce
- 1 15 ounce can whole tomatoes (2 cups, or crushed tomatoes if preferred)
- 1 10 ounce can tomato sauce (1 1/4 cups)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Lasagna Layers
- 6 ounces uncooked, oven-ready lasagna noodles (8 noodles)
- 16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F to prepare for baking the assembled lasagna.
- Cook beef and onion: In a large pan with high sides over medium-high heat, cook the chopped onion and ground beef until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain excess fat and set aside.
- Prepare vegetables: While the beef cooks, dice the zucchini and summer squash into small 1/4" – 1/2" cubes.
- Sauté vegetables: In the same or a separate pan, cook the diced zucchini and summer squash for about 7-10 minutes until tender.
- Add tomatoes and spices: Add the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper to the sautéed vegetables. Break down the whole tomatoes with a spatula and cook over medium heat for another 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to combine flavors and thicken the sauce.
- Combine beef and sauce: Stir the cooked beef and onions back into the tomato and vegetable sauce mixture to fully incorporate the meat flavors.
- Layer lasagna base: Pour about 1/4 of the sauce mixture into a 9×13" casserole dish, spreading it evenly.
- Add noodles: Place 4 uncooked oven-ready lasagna noodles over the sauce layer in the dish.
- Repeat layering: Pour another 1/4 of the sauce on top of the noodles, then evenly spread half of the cottage cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle half of the parmesan and half of the mozzarella on top. Repeat the steps with remaining noodles, sauce, and cheeses to create two layers.
- Bake covered: Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes to brown the cheese and finish cooking.
- Cool and serve: Let the lasagna cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving warm. Enjoy this healthy and flavorful meal!
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna the night before or earlier in the day, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Freezing: Wrap unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and foil or store in an airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 15-20 minutes to the baking time.
- Tomato Options: Use crushed tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes for a smoother sauce texture without the need to break them down.
- Breaking down tomatoes during cooking helps to create a smoother and more cohesive sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
