Description
This Easy Healthy Lasagna recipe offers a lighter take on the classic Italian favorite by using lean ground beef, plenty of zucchini and summer squash, and low-fat cottage cheese. It’s packed with flavor from herbs and tomatoes, uses no-boil lasagna noodles for convenience, and bakes to a bubbly, cheesy perfection in just over an hour. Perfect for a nutritious weeknight dinner or ahead-of-time meal prep.
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)
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
Other
- 6 ounces uncooked, oven-ready lasagna noodles (8 noodles)
- 16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F to get ready for baking the lasagna.
- Cook Beef and Onion: In a large pan with high sides over medium-high heat, cook the chopped onion and ground beef together until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Then drain off excess fat and set aside.
- Prepare Vegetables: While the beef cooks, dice the zucchini and summer squash into small cubes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in size.
- Cook Vegetables: Add the diced zucchini and summer squash to the pan and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until tender.
- Add Tomatoes and Spices: Stir in the canned whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, and pepper. Break down the whole tomatoes with your spatula to create a smoother sauce and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Combine Meat and Sauce: Return the cooked beef and onions back into the tomato sauce mixture, stirring to combine well.
- Layer Lasagna – Part 1: Pour about one quarter of the sauce mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Lay 4 of the oven-ready lasagna noodles on top of the sauce evenly.
- Layer Lasagna – Part 2: Add another quarter of the sauce mixture evenly over the noodles. Then evenly spread half of the cottage cheese, followed by half of the shredded parmesan and half of the shredded mozzarella.
- Layer Lasagna – Part 3: Repeat the layering with the remaining sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella.
- Bake Covered: Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes to brown the cheese on top.
- Rest and Serve: Let the lasagna cool for a few minutes out of the oven before slicing and serving warm. Enjoy your healthy, homemade lasagna!
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna in advance either the night before or the morning of cooking. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Freezing: The unbaked lasagna can be frozen for up to 3 months by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and foil or using an airtight container. When baking from frozen, add 15 to 20 minutes to the bake time.
- Tomato Substitution: Use crushed tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes for a smoother sauce texture if preferred.
- Breaking Down Tomatoes: While cooking the sauce, break down whole tomatoes thoroughly with a spatula for a more uniform texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
