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Home » Recipes » Dinner Recipes » Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna (Vegetarian and Gluten Free)

Last updated on March 16, 2020. Originally posted on July 26, 2019 By Maryea / 24 Comments

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna (Vegetarian and Gluten Free)

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This Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna is a fun twist on traditional lasagna that is vegetarian and gluten free!ZUCCHINI QUINOA LASAGNA recipe portion on plate

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I’d like to introduce to you a brand new way to enjoy lasagna.  No, this isn’t traditional lasagna.  Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna is for when you want all the flavors of lasagna without all the heft.  Don’t get me wrong, I love all that heft.  The noodles, the cheese, all of it.  But let’s be real. Sometimes we all need to lighten things up.

This is lasagna’s lighter sister. Instead of noodles, we have zucchini.  Naturally.  It’s summer; you have zucchini coming out of your ears.  And for those of us who don’t grow our own, it’s super cheap at the grocery store.

Instead of meat, we have quinoa.  It makes a lovely filling for this fake-out lasagna. It gives this dish protein and is neutral enough to allow the other flavors to shine. And then there’s just a small amount of cheese, to give it that cheesey-lasagnaness we all love.  All of this in a perfectly gluten-free lasagna package.

ZUCCHINI QUINOA LASAGNA recipe in serving dish

I tried to get a picture of the layers for you.  I kind of failed, but hopefully you get the idea.

This dish is reminiscent of a similar recipe I made years ago from a lovely vegan blog called Peas and Thank You.  You might remember it?  I was meal planning and the recipe popped in my head.  Then, I searched online and found that blog was gone.  So what’s a girl to do?  I came up with my own, not quite vegan, version.

This recipe is super easy (hello–no noodles to boil) and is full of lasagna flavor.  If you want a lighter, gluten-free lasagna, this is your recipe.

ZUCCHINI QUINOA LASAGNA recipe close up

How to Make Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

Here is a quick video to show you how to make this recipe!

Love quinoa? You should also try this Quinoa Pizza Balls recipe!

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Vegetarian Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna recipe. This is a great, gluten-free way to enjoy the flavors of lasagna! It's so much lighter than regular lasagna! This is a perfect summer dinner that the whole family will love.

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna


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5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Healthy Happy Mama
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

This is a gluten-free and vegetarian lasagna that is much lighter than traditional lasagna, but has all the flavor!


Ingredients

Scale

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (I used 6 small zucchinis–if yours are larger you’ll need less)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 cups water

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus a few extra leaves cut into strips for the topping

1 teaspoon dried oregano

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced (or use shredded mozzarella)

salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the ends off of your zucchini and slice it length wise into the shape of lasagna noodles.  If your zucchini are exceptionally large, you may need to cut it in half width wise first.  Lay the zucchini on a clean towel and sprinkle with salt.  Let them sit while you prepare the quinoa.  This draws the water out of the zucchini so your final dish isn’t too watery.

Place the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cover.  Allow to simmer until the water is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce, basil, and oregano. Reserve about 1/2 cup of this and add the rest to the cooked quinoa. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  (I added 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 1/4 teaspoon pepper.   It depends on the saltiness of your tomato sauce.)

Spread 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish.  Then add a layer of the zucchini noodles.  Top the zucchini noodles with half of the quinoa mixture.  Top this with 1/3 of the cheese.  Add another layer of zucchini noodles and top with the rest of the quinoa mixture.  Add another 1/3 of the cheese.  Add one more layer of zucchini noodles and top with the rest of the tomato sauce and cheese.

Bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted.  If you’d like to brown the cheese, turn on the oven’s broiler for the last few minutes of cooking time.  Top with the basil strips, if desired. Enjoy!

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: main meal
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 192
  • Sugar: 8.2g
  • Sodium: 524.5mg
  • Fat: 7.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 18.6g
  • Protein: 10.2g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @happyhealthymama on Instagram and hashtag it #happyhealthymama

 

Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015. Pictures were updated and a video added July 2019. 

 

 

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Easy enough for a weeknight! This recipe is also vegetarian, but not gluten free.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen L Edwards says

    December 16, 2022 at 10:09 am

    Great, yummy alternative to noodle lasagna! My husband even likes it!
    I use dairy-free mozzarella- so good!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      December 17, 2022 at 12:06 pm

      Thank you for this kind review!

      Reply
  2. Katelyn Porter says

    June 2, 2021 at 9:48 am

    So delicious!

    Reply
  3. Online Diet Plans says

    August 19, 2019 at 6:46 am

    Great, thanks for sharing this blog. Really thank you!

    Reply
  4. word games says

    August 9, 2019 at 12:35 am

    Vegetarian dishes you share very delicious and attractive, very good food for health. Thanks for sharing the great food.

    Reply
  5. J says

    August 18, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    Made it tonight with Daiya Mozzarella Shreds, easily veganisable (as are the majority of recipes though)!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      August 20, 2018 at 11:17 am

      Happy to hear that!

      Reply
  6. Tracy says

    July 25, 2016 at 12:57 am

    Would this work with jarred marinara sauce instead of the canned tomato sauce?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      July 26, 2016 at 12:22 pm

      Yes, that should work fine!

      Reply
  7. Rini says

    February 10, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after rdaieng through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      February 11, 2016 at 9:23 am

      I’m glad you found me! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Bryn Moore says

    August 10, 2015 at 6:44 am

    We made this and it was easy and yummy. We added garlic to ours but that’s it. Also great as left overs!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      August 10, 2015 at 7:31 am

      So glad to hear that!

      Reply
  9. jill conyers says

    August 5, 2015 at 6:17 am

    This looks delicious! Pinned for menu planning.

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      August 5, 2015 at 6:19 am

      Thanks so much, Jill!

      Reply
  10. Alexis @ Hummusapien says

    July 28, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    No boiling noodles?! I am SO in. I love that this version is lighter but has the added protein punch from the quinoa. Bravo! Have fun on vaca, dear 😉

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      July 28, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      Thank you darlin!

      Reply
  11. Julia says

    July 28, 2015 at 10:13 am

    Hello gorgeous healthy meal! I’ve been meaning to make a zucchini lasagna for ages, and your post is definitely inspiring me to hop to it. And that quinoa?! Ugh, perfection!! So healthy, yet so comforting..just the way I like it!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      July 28, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      It’s time to do it!!

      Reply
  12. Richard says

    July 27, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    God knows I love every receipe of lasagna! thanks for this one

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      July 28, 2015 at 8:15 pm

      You’re welcome, Richard!

      Reply
  13. Karin Davey says

    July 27, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    This looks great, especially right now when we have a wagon load of zucchini in the garden! We love your Sweet Potato Quinoa Pie recipe, so can’t wait to try this.
    I noticed in the second paragraph of instructions you’ve said to: Place the zucchini and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover. Allow to simmer until the water is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.
    I’m guessing you mean quinoa instead of zucchini?
    Thanks for all your recipes- I have been relying on your site in all my cooking/baking endeavors for the last four years! My kids and I especially love your snack and breakfast recipes. I find that so many other healthy eating sites and books are not very good at kid friendly foods, or require an hour in the kitchen. You have been a life saver!
    Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Maryea says

      July 27, 2015 at 4:30 pm

      Yes, I meant quinoa! Whoops. I am off to fix my mistake now! 🙂

      Thank you for your kind words, too!

      Reply
  14. Arleen says

    July 27, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    Fatti conquistare dalle meravigliose immagini del portfolio con le fotografie deii matrimoni a
    Roma ed approfittane per chiedere informazioni.

    Also vksit my website: prezzi fotografo matrimonio roma (Arleen)

    Reply

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