I’m half Italian, and the very first thing I remember my grandmother teaching me to cook is lasagna. It took forever to cook up all the parts, assemble the lasagna layers, and bake it.
I don’t really have the patience for that now, so I make this easy zucchini lasagna instead. It has all the flavors, without all the fuss, and also without the meat, dairy and carbs.
About the Ingredients
Zucchini – Choose zucchini that are just slightly longer than the width of your pan, so you end up with slices that go all the way across as you layer them. I cut mine with a mandolin cutter, so they were very thin, but if you have good knife skills, you should be fine just slicing them.
Tofu – I used Nasoya firm tofu, packed in water, but feel free to sub your favorite brand. I think silken tofu would also be fine with this recipe. I drained and pressed for a few minutes, but the tofu was still pretty wet. I think the drier you get it, the better your results will be.
Spices – I used garlic powder and dried parsley flakes to flavor the tofu. If you prefer using fresh, or basil instead of parsley, or other spices altogether, you should be fine. As long as you’re not more adding wet ingredients to the tofu and lemon juice, you’re good.
Beefless crumbles – I used Morningstar Farms griller crumbles, and at the time I’m writing this, they’re made with equal amounts of carbs and fiber, making them net zero for those of us counting carbs. They’re also seasoned pretty well, and salted, so I didn’t do anything but throw them on the griddle, and defrost them. If you prefer some other brand, go for it. Be sure they’re seasoned and salted the way you like before adding them to your lasagna.
Pasta sauce – I used some house brand garlic marinara sauce from a jar, made with no sugar or other sweeteners. Use whatever sauce you like, in whatever flavor you like. Grandma used to make her own sauce from scratch, so if that’s your thing, have at it. I don’t have it in me.
Make It Your Own
This recipe is pretty basic, and just asking to be customized according to your own preferences. If you like mushrooms, or raw spinach, or black olives, or carrot shreds, layer those into your lasagna. If you like a commercial brand of mozzarella cheese, add that to your layers. Don’t be afraid to make your own adjustments.
Ingredients
- For the noodles:
2 medium zucchini
Salt
- For the tofu ricotta:
1 package of firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 TB lemon juice
2 TB garlic powder
1 TB parsley flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
- For the filling:
2 cups beefless crumbles
2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9″ square glass pan with olive oil, and don’t skimp on the sides.
- To prepare the zucchini noodles, use a mandolin cutter to slice long, thin strips. Lay the strips on paper towels in a single layer, and salt them. Let the strips sit while you prepare the rest of the fillings.
- To prepare the tofu ricotta, place the drained, pressed tofu into a bowl, add the lemon juice, and mash with a fork into small crumbles. Add nutritional yeast, garlic powder, parsley flakes, pepper and salt, and continue mashing until the mixture is completely blended.
- To prepare the beefless crumbles, place in an oiled pan and cook on medium heat until defrosted.
- To assemble the lasagna, start by drying the liquid that’s beaded up on the salted zucchini strips. Lay strips going in one direction on the bottom of the pan, overlapping them a bit. When the bottom of the pan is full, add another layer of strips, perpendicular to the first, so one layer goes side to side, and one goes up and down.
Cover the zucchini with about a quarter of the pasta sauce, then add a layer of about half the tofu ricotta, and a layer of half the beefless crumbles. Cover with another layer of overlapping zucchini strips. Repeat the sauce, ricotta, crumbles and zucchini again. Cover the top of the lasagna with the remaining sauce, and any other toppings you’d like. - Cover the baking pan with foil or a glass lid, and bake at 350° for one hour. Remove from the oven, remove the cover, and let sit for about 15 minutes to let the lasagna firm up.
For those of you counting carbs, your mileage may vary, based on the type of tofu you use, and also the type of crumbles and sauce. For best results, plug your info into your favorite tracking app.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
Calories206
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
7.4g
12%
- Saturated Fat 1g 5%
- Sodium 479mg 20%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
18g
6%
- Dietary Fiber 7g 29%
- Sugars 8.5g
- Protein 20.8g 42%
- Vitamin A 4%
- Vitamin C 31%
- Calcium 23%
- Iron 27%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
