This Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna is a fun twist on traditional lasagna that is vegetarian and gluten free!
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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.
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.
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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Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This is a gluten-free and vegetarian lasagna that is much lighter than traditional lasagna, but has all the flavor!
Ingredients
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
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015. Pictures were updated and a video added July 2019.
More Healthy Lasagna Recipes You Might Love
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Butternut Squash and Kale Lasagna
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30-Minute Skillet Spinach Lasagna
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Great, yummy alternative to noodle lasagna! My husband even likes it!
I use dairy-free mozzarella- so good!
Thank you for this kind review!
So delicious!
Great, thanks for sharing this blog. Really thank you!
Vegetarian dishes you share very delicious and attractive, very good food for health. Thanks for sharing the great food.
Made it tonight with Daiya Mozzarella Shreds, easily veganisable (as are the majority of recipes though)!
Happy to hear that!
Would this work with jarred marinara sauce instead of the canned tomato sauce?
Thanks!
Yes, that should work fine!
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!
I’m glad you found me! 🙂
We made this and it was easy and yummy. We added garlic to ours but that’s it. Also great as left overs!
So glad to hear that!
This looks delicious! Pinned for menu planning.
Thanks so much, Jill!
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 😉
Thank you darlin!
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!
It’s time to do it!!
God knows I love every receipe of lasagna! thanks for this one
You’re welcome, Richard!
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!
Yes, I meant quinoa! Whoops. I am off to fix my mistake now! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, too!
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