Description
This easy healthy lasagna recipe combines lean ground beef, fresh zucchini, summer squash, and a flavorful tomato sauce with low-fat cottage cheese and mozzarella for a nutritious twist on a classic favorite. Oven-ready noodles make assembly simple, creating a delicious, hearty meal perfect for family dinners or meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Vegetables
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 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
Cheeses and Pasta
- 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 lasagna.
- Cook beef and onions: In a large pan with high sides, cook the diced onion and ground beef over medium-high heat until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
- Prepare vegetables: While cooking the beef, cut the zucchini and summer squash into small cubes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in size.
- Drain beef: Once the beef is cooked, set it aside and drain any excess fat.
- Cook vegetables: In the same pan, cook the diced zucchini and summer squash for 7 to 10 minutes until slightly tender.
- Add tomatoes and sauce: Add the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper to the pan with vegetables. Cook over medium heat for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often and breaking down the whole tomatoes with a spatula for a smooth sauce.
- Combine beef and sauce: Add the cooked beef and onions back into the tomato sauce mixture and stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Layer lasagna - first layer: Pour about one-quarter of the tomato sauce mixture into a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Place four oven-ready lasagna noodles over the sauce.
- Layer lasagna - second layer: Spread another one-quarter of the sauce on top of the noodles, then add half of the cottage cheese, followed by half of the parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layering: Repeat the layering steps with the remaining sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella to build the second layer.
- Cover and bake: Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and finish baking: Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Cool and serve: Let the lasagna cool for a few minutes after baking, then cut into portions and serve warm.
Notes
- You can assemble the lasagna the day before and refrigerate it, covered, to bake later.
- For freezing, wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and foil or use an airtight casserole dish; freeze for up to 3 months.
- When baking from frozen, add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time and keep the dish covered with foil initially.
- Whole tomatoes can be substituted with crushed tomatoes if you prefer a smoother sauce texture.
- When cooking the sauce, use a spatula to break down whole tomatoes to achieve desired consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
