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Dinnertime just got a whole lot easier! With this premade meal plan take the stress out of meal time. Save time and money while being inspired to try new recipes!
This zucchini lasagna recipe uses zucchini slices instead of traditional noodles to create a low-carb, gluten-free, and delicious lasagna!
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It’s no secret that I love any recipe where I can make vegetables the star of the show. This healthy Zucchini Lasagna is a masterclass when it comes to working with zucchini! Even those overgrown giant zucchinis you forgot about in your garden are perfect for this recipe. I layer fresh zucchini slices (instead of noodles!) between tangy meat sauce and creamy cheese sauce for a lower-carb, gluten-free, and utterly delicious lasagna. This recipe involves a bit of technique, but it’s worth the time you’ll spend slicing the zucchini just right.
When prepared correctly, zucchini is one of the best pasta substitutes out there. It’s also really good for you! Did you know zucchini is rich in potassium? It’s also loaded with fiber, which can help you feel fuller longer. This recipe for zucchini lasagna lets this versatile veggie take center stage, replacing traditional lasagna sheets with zucchini slices. When layered with herby ricotta and mozzarella sauce, Italian sausage (or your favorite vegetarian alternative), and a tomato sauce, this veggie-packed dish is JUST as satisfying as traditional lasagna.
If you’re worried the zucchini will make this dish watery, fear not! I’ve shared my favorite tips for preventing soggy zucchini below.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy zucchini lasagna recipe:
Thinly sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions are all great additions to this zucchini lasagna. You can also use eggplant slices instead of zucchini if that’s what you have on hand! Follow the recipe as written, and treat the eggplant slices as you would the zucchini.
Let the zucchini lasagna cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat any leftovers in the oven at 350°F until heated through. If you have extra cheese or sauce left over, you could use it for another meal, stuffed inside cooked shell pasta, etc. Both elements of this recipe freeze well for up to 3 months. You could also freeze the assembled lasagna, but the zucchini may become watery when thawed overnight in the fridge and reheated.
Aside from grilling or adding it to a stir-fry, I’d make zucchini fritters or baked zucchini fries! Zucchini boats are also perfect for leftover whole zucchini, whereas zucchini muffins and zucchini bread are great for any scraps, as they just need to be grated.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 4-5 large zucchini into long 1/8 inch thick planks using a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife, reserving any slightly thicker slices for the bottom layer of your lasagna.
Sprinkle each zucchini plank with ½ tsp sea salt and let them sit for 10 minutes to release water while you prepare the cheese layer.
To prepare cheese layer, combine 32 oz. of whole milk ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella, 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 Tbsp Italian herb seasoning, 2 large eggs, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp sea salt in a food processor and pulse until combined.
Dab zucchini slices dry with a clean cloth or paper towels.
Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets (I used 2) and lightly mist zucchini with cooking oil spray. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to help dehydrate them slightly. (This is an important step if you don’t want extra juicy lasagna!). Remove zucchini from oven and set aside.
In a large skillet, break apart ½ lb ground Italian sausage with a spatula and cook until browned. (I did not have any extra oil in my pan, but if you do, you’ll want to strain it off.)
Add 24 oz. jarred tomato sauce and 2 Tbsp tomato paste to the browned Italian sausage and stir together to combine. The tomato paste helps thicken the sauce, which is very important for this recipe if you want to avoid a watery lasagna.
Spoon a few spoonfuls of the finished sauce into the 9×13” baking dish and spread around to cover the bottom. On top of the sauce, begin adding layers of zucchini, overlapping strips halfway to form a barrier to keep layers separate (just as you would with noodles!)
Then, add a layer of cheese mixture.
Add another layer of zucchini, and another layer of cheese.
And a layer of sauce— repeating this order until your lasagna pan is full.
Sprinkle more cheese on top, if desired.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, broiling for 3 min at the very end to lightly brown the cheese on top. Let your lasagna cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh parsley or basil if you have some on hand. Enjoy!
This zucchini lasagna recipe is so hearty and satisfying—you won’t even miss the noodles!
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This Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes recipe is hearty, warming, and deeply satisfying. It’s also budget-friendly and easy to make!
The post Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes appeared first on Budget Bytes.
This recipe for Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes is hearty, warming, and deeply satisfying. These stuffed tomatoes can easily be served over a bed of pasta or rice—super budget-friendly and extremely filling! Every time you cut into one of the tomatoes, it’s like you’re making the sauce for whatever you’ve paired them with. This recipe is absolutely delicious and a great way to use up those summer tomatoes!
Stuffed tomatoes are such an underrated dish. You can stuff them with almost anything you have on hand—grains, beans, meats, veggies, cheese! In this recipe, I take inspiration from Tuscan cuisine and stuff the tomatoes with a hearty mixture of cannellini beans, four types of diced vegetables, breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, tomato sauce, and shredded cheese. Each tomato is then baked until it’s tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor. They’re like mini casseroles in tomato form!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this stuffed tomato recipe:
You want large, firm, and ripe ”slicing” tomatoes for this recipe. Beefsteak and large heirloom tomatoes are also great options because they’re big and easy to stuff. Roma tomatoes could also work, but the oval shape makes stuffing a bit more challenging. For serving a crowd, I use smaller vine-ripened tomatoes so the filling goes further. Whichever variety you choose, make sure your tomatoes are firm and not mushy!
Leftover Tuscan white bean stuffed tomatoes will last up to 3-4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until heated through. I wouldn’t freeze this recipe as the tomatoes may become too watery after thawing. However, the filling freezes well.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Hollow out 4 large tomatoes, keeping the tops and transferring the juicy seeds and inside flesh to a medium mixing bowl. Reserve everything!
Dice 1 peeled carrot, ½ a yellow onion, and 2 celery sticks into small pieces to make mirepoix (which is a combination of diced veggies used to flavor a recipe). Pour 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil into a saucepan with 1½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, ½ Tsp Italian herbs, and the diced carrots, onions, and celery.
Once cooked down, about 5 minutes or until veggies are softened and glossy, add the insides from the tomatoes, 1 diced zucchini, 1 sprig of rosemary, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar and simmer of on medium heat uncovered until a chunky filling forms and some of the juices cook down, about 10 min.
Add ¼ cups of bread crumbs, 1 can of white cannellini beans, and an 8-oz can of tomato sauce. Stir until combined. Cook for 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and fold in ½ a cup of shredded Italian cheese blend. Set aside.
Place hollowed out tomatoes in a lightly oiled baking dish. Fill each hollowed out tomato with the cheesy white bean filling and put their tomato “lids” on.
Fill in around each tomato with any extra filling. Brush remaining ½ Tbsp of olive oil on top of all 4 tomatoes and cover the entire baking dish lightly with tinfoil. Bake for 15 min at 375°F.
Remove tinfoil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Broil your baked stuffed tomatoes on high for the last 3 minutes to get some color on top of the tomatoes, if needed. Serve each tomato over pasta or rice.
You NEED to try these protein-packed Tuscan white bean stuffed tomatoes the next time you’re craving something warm, hearty, and delicious!
The post Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes appeared first on Budget Bytes.
Zucchini is abundant in gardens and farmers’ markets during the summer months. It’s versatile, mild in flavor, and can be used in a variety of dishes. I love using it to make zucchini bread, zucchini fritters, zucchini cake, zucchini browni…
Zucchini is abundant in gardens and farmers’ markets during the summer months. It’s versatile, mild in flavor, and can be used in a variety of dishes. I love using it to make zucchini bread, zucchini fritters, zucchini cake, zucchini brownies, and more. I also love making this easy Grilled Zucchini Salad. It can be served… These grilled vegetable kabobs are the easiest way to eat a rainbow of delicious veggies during summer. It is the perfect side dish for your weekend BBQ or grill party. This recipe shares 5 easy marinades to take grilled veggie kabobs to the next level…
These grilled vegetable kabobs are the easiest way to eat a rainbow of delicious veggies during summer. It is the perfect side dish for your weekend BBQ or grill party. This recipe shares 5 easy marinades to take grilled veggie kabobs to the next level! Grilled vegetable kabobs are my go-to recipe for summer cookouts....
The post Grilled Vegetable Kabobs (+5 Marinades) appeared first on My Pure Plants.
Dinnertime just got a whole lot easier! With this premade meal plan take the stress out of meal time. Save time and money while being inspired to try new recipes!
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread combines two cozy baked goods into the perfect blend of sweet and spice! The moist zucchini…
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread combines two cozy baked goods into the perfect blend of sweet and spice! The moist zucchini bread gets a warm, cinnamon-sugar twist so it tastes a bit like your favorite cookie—but better.
If you love snickerdoodles and zucchini bread: why not enjoy both at once? Welcome to the magic of snickerdoodle zucchini bread, which became an instant favorite in our house! This loaf is moist and sweet, swirled with cinnamon and topped with crunchy cinnamon sugar so it tastes like that cozy cookie.
We created this recipe to use up a bunch zucchini our neighbor gave us from her garden. Since we already have recipes for zucchini bread, lemon zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini bread, we were looking for something a little different. This sweetly spiced spin won us over.
“This is a delicious zucchini bread and lends itself quite nicely to the snickerdoodle flavor profile! And it’s even better on day 2 – I had some with breakfast this morning 
.” -Valerie
Snickerdoodle zucchini bread is a simple spin on the classic zucchini bread recipe. It’s a quick bread, meaning it’s baked without yeast (like pumpkin bread, banana bread, apple bread, and others). If you love to make baked goods, it’s a fun thing to bake that feels fancier than it is! Here’s what you’ll need:
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread is special because it has a cinnamon swirl through the middle. You’ll add half the batter to the pan, top with cinnamon sugar, then add the other half of batter and more cinnamon sugar. Here’s how to make the swirl:
Here are a few more tips for making sure this bread comes out perfectly moist:
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread stores well. Keep it up to 3 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil, 1 week refrigerated, or up to 3 months frozen.
There are so many zucchini recipes to use this versatile vegetable. Make it into a main dish with zucchini lasagna or stuffed zucchini boats, or try it as an appetizer with zucchini fritters. Bake it into zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, or zucchini brownies.
There are also so many tasty zucchini bread variations: our top four are lemon, chocolate, banana, and chocolate chip.
This snickerdoodle zucchini bread recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, substitute a flax egg and use vegan butter.
Yes, you can omit the cream of tartar if you don’t have it on hand.
No, you don’t need to peel the zucchini. Just wash it thoroughly, trim the ends, and grate it.
You can get creative with add-ins. Chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) or cinnamon chips would be delicious additions.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes 
Yield: 12 slices This snickerdoodle zucchini bread combines two cozy baked goods into the perfect blend of sweet and spice! The moist zucchini bread gets a warm, cinnamon-sugar twist so it tastes a bit like your favorite cookie—but better.
For the zucchini bread
For the cinnamon sugar and topping
Use all the moisture from the zucchini in this recipe, since its liquid quantity is required for the bread (do not drain).
Category: Bread
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Quick Bread
Diet: VegetarianDuring the summer, whenever I have a lot of zucchini to use up, I love making zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini brownies, and even zucchini cookies. I also love making savory zucchini recipes and this Creamy Zucchini Corn Pasta is one o…
During the summer, whenever I have a lot of zucchini to use up, I love making zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini brownies, and even zucchini cookies. I also love making savory zucchini recipes and this Creamy Zucchini Corn Pasta is one of my favorites. This pasta dish is super simple to make and is… Make zucchini bars with cake mix to use up your abundance of garden zucchini. The spice cake mix matches perfectly with the cream cheese frosting. I love summertime gardens. Granted, I’m not the best at it, but thankfully my mom and dad are and t…
Make zucchini bars with cake mix to use up your abundance of garden zucchini. The spice cake mix matches perfectly with the cream cheese frosting. I love summertime gardens. Granted, I’m not the best at it, but thankfully my mom and dad are and they share the produce with us. One veggie that we always…
The post Zucchini Bars with Cake Mix appeared first on Tastes of Lizzy T.
Parmesan Zucchini is crispy, juicy and savory, with breaded zucchini rounds baked with a topping of mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce.
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