Description
This Easy Healthy Lasagna Recipe is a delicious, lower-fat alternative to traditional lasagna, packed with lean ground beef, fresh zucchini and summer squash, and layered with cottage cheese and mozzarella for a hearty, nutritious meal perfect for family dinners.
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 and Cheese
- 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 Onion: In a large pan with high sides, cook the chopped onion and ground beef over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the beef is fully cooked. Drain 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” in size.
- Cook Vegetables: In the same pan, cook the diced zucchini and summer squash for 7-10 minutes until slightly tender.
- Add Tomatoes and Spices: Add the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, and pepper to the pan. Stir thoroughly and break down the whole tomatoes with a spatula for a smoother sauce.
- Simmer Sauce: Continue cooking the sauce over medium heat for another 7-10 minutes, stirring often to combine flavors.
- Combine Beef and Sauce: Add the cooked ground beef and onions back into the tomato sauce mixture and stir to incorporate evenly.
- Layer Sauce: Pour about one-quarter of the sauce mixture into a 9×13 inch casserole dish to create the first layer.
- Add Lasagna Noodles: Arrange 4 oven-ready lasagna noodles on top of the sauce layer.
- Add More Sauce: Spread another quarter of the sauce mixture evenly over the noodles.
- Add Cheese Layer: Spread half of the cottage cheese over the sauce, then sprinkle half of the parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheeses evenly on top.
- Repeat Layers: Repeat the layering process with the remaining sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella to form a 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 for an additional 15 minutes to brown the cheese on top.
- Cool and Serve: Let the lasagna cool for a few minutes before serving warm. Enjoy your healthy, flavorful meal!
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna the night before or in the morning, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Freezing: Wrap unbaked lasagna tightly in plastic wrap and foil or use an airtight casserole dish, freeze up to 3 months. Add 15-20 minutes to baking time when baking straight from frozen.
- Tomato Options: Swap whole canned tomatoes for crushed tomatoes if preferred for a smoother sauce.
- Sauce Texture: Use a spatula to break down whole tomatoes while cooking for a better sauce consistency.
- Cooking Noodles: Oven-ready noodles save prep time and do not require boiling before assembling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
