Skillet Zucchini Lasagna 

There’s nothing better than cozying up with a warm bowl of your favorite comfort food after a long day. And this Skillet Zucchini Lasagna is just that. This lasagna is full of flavor but still good for your macros. And the best part? You can easily make it all in one dish, which means EASY CLEAN-UP. 🙌

What You’ll Need for this Macro-Friendly Skillet Zucchini Lasagna: 

• Onion
• Eggplant (or see substitutes below)
• Ground Beef or Turkey
• Oregano
• Dried Basil or Italian Seasoning
• Fennel Seeds
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Frozen garlic cubes of fresh garlic
• Tomato Paste
• Balsamic Vinegar
• 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
• Low-fat cottage cheese 
• Grated Parmesan Cheese 
• Fat-free milk or Nut milk 
• Zucchini 
• Mozzarella 
• Fresh basil

How to Make Skillet Zucchini Lasagna: 

To make this macro-friendly skillet zucchini lasagna, pull out your favorite heavy-bottomed skillet that’s also oven-safe. I love this one here. 

Heat your large skillet over high heat with a spritz of olive oil. Add onion and cook for two minutes until fragrant and tender. Add eggplant and salt. Cover and let cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then, push veggies to the side and add ground beef to the pan, letting it sit for a couple of minutes to brown a bit. Sprinkle with dry seasonings, and break up the meat, stirring until cooked thru. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for one more minute. Add vinegar and let it sizzle, then stir in the canned tomatoes (first blending on low if using whole tomatoes.) Turn the heat to low to let it simmer.

Next, using a blender or small food processor, add the cottage cheese, parmesan, and a splash of milk. Process until smooth. (Or if your family doesn’t mind the texture of cottage cheese, you can skip this part and simply combine your cheeses.) Stir the cheese mixture into your skillet.

Slice your zucchini into very thin rounds. I love using a simple little hand-held mandoline for this but you can also slice them by hand. (The thinner the better since we’ll hardly cook these!) 

Add the zucchini to the skillet, carefully tossing them into the mixture. I like to turn the heat off at this point. But if you sliced them by hand and they’re a little thicker, you can let them cook for a couple of minutes until tender to your liking.

Finally, turn off the heat and add your mozzarella. Pop the pan in the broiler for a few minutes until it’s brown and bubbly. (Or you can just cover the skillet and let the cheese melt while you gather everyone for dinner!) If you like your zucchini more tender, skip the broil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Is this Skillet Zucchini Lasagna GF/DF?

This one is gluten-free but obviously not dairy-free. I haven’t made it with dairy-free swaps, but you could use dairy-free ricotta in place of the cottage cheese, and swap in dairy-free parmesan and mozzarella if you have some that you love.

Serving Suggestions: 

Enjoy with some fresh basil and a little extra parmesan! Add a fresh green salad and some crusty bread for the perfect meal.

Similar Recipes:

Here are some of my other go-to macro-friendly comfort dishes…

Chicken Marinara

Baked Feta Spaghetti Squash

Easy Lean Chili Mac

Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole 

Mushroom Ricotta Pasta Bake

Macro-Friendly Skillet Zucchini Lasagna 

Of course, this Macro-Friendly Skillet Zucchini Lasagna is loaded in My Fitness Pal and Macros First for easy tracking. This is a great go-to when the weather gets colder or just for when you want something healthy that’s still cozy and filling. 

If you decide to make it, tag me! I love to see what you’re making. And if you’re looking for even more macro-friendly recipes to enjoy, make sure to follow me on Instagram or shop my cookbooks here. 

Skillet Zucchini Lasagna

This macro-friendly zucchini lasagna gives all the warm-comforting feels with a healthy twist. Enjoy it with a fresh green salad and some crusty bread for the perfect meal.

Print Pin Rate

5 from 3 votes

Course Casserole, Skillet

Cuisine Italian

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 282 kcal

Ingredients

• ½ white onion diced (80 g)
• 1 eggplant chopped (see notes for substitutions, 341 g)
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 lb. 93/7 ground beef or ground turkey 454 g
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil or Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. fennel seeds
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 frozen garlic cubes or minced cloves
• ¼ cup tomato paste 60
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 30 g
• 28 oz canned San Marzano tomatoes blended until smooth (794 g)
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese 240 g
• 1 oz grated parmesan cheese 28 g
• 1-2 Tbsp. fat-free milk or nut milk 15-30 g
• 3 medium zucchinis sliced into very thin rounds on a mandolin* (750 g)
• 2 oz mozzarella grated (60 g)
• Fresh basil

Instructions

• Heat a large oven-safe, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat with a spritz of olive oil. Add onion and cook for two minutes until fragrant and tender. Add eggplant and salt. Cover and let cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Push veggies to the side and add ground beef to the pan, letting it sit for a couple of minutes to brown a bit. Sprinkle with dry seasonings, and break up the meat, stirring until cooked thru. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for one more minute. Add vinegar and let it sizzle, then stir in the canned tomatoes (first blending on low if using whole tomatoes.) Turn the heat to low to let it simmer.
• To a blender or small food processor, add the cottage cheese, parmesan, and a splash of milk to help it blend. Process until smooth. (Or if your family doesn’t mind the texture of cottage cheese, you can skip this part and simply combine your cheeses.) Stir the cheese mixture into your skillet.
• Slice your zucchini into very thin rounds. I love using a simple little hand-held mandoline for this but you can also slice them by hand. (The thinner the better since we’ll hardly cook these!) Add the zucchini to the skillet, carefully tossing them into the mixture. I like to turn the heat off at this point. But if you sliced them by hand and they’re a little thicker, you can let them cook for a couple of minutes until tender to your liking.
• Turn off the heat and add your mozzarella. Pop the pan in the broiler for a few minutes until it’s brown and bubbly. (Or you can just cover the skillet and let the cheese melt while you gather everyone for dinner!) If you like your zucchini more tender, skip the broil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.
• Enjoy with some fresh basil and a little extra parmesan! Add a fresh green salad and some crusty bread for the perfect meal.

Notes

GF/DF: This one is gluten-free but obviously not dairy-free. I haven’t made it with dairy-free swaps but you could use dairy-free ricotta in place of the cottage cheese, and swap in dairy-free parmesan and mozzarella if you have some you love!

Eggplant: The eggplant gets so cooked down and melty, you’ll hardly know it’s there. BUT, I know not everyone likes eggplant! Feel free to swap in a different veggie you’ve got on hand. The eggplant is not key, but just adds more texture and sauciness to your meat mixture. Lots of veggies will fill the spot well! Additional zucchini or yellow squash, mushrooms, cauliflower rice, or butternut squash would be delicious! Butternut will add a couple of carbs per serving but NO big deal.

Ground Beef: I’m using 93/7 ground beef in this recipe, labeled 8 fat/4 oz. 

Nutrition

Serving: 400gCalories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 20.3gProtein: 27gFat: 10gFiber: 5.4g

Keywords 30 minute, baked casseroles, lasagna, macro-friendly, skillet pasta, zucchini

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