Low Carb Skillet Lasagna with Zucchini

Indulge in the amazing flavors of lasagna without the fuss or carbs with this Low Carb Skillet Lasagna! Featuring tender zucchini slices layered with a rich, savory meat sauce and topped with irresistibly gooey melted cheese, this low carb skillet meal is Keto-friendly, gluten-free, grain-free, and egg-free, with easy low FODMAP modifications.

For another tasty, low carb recipe using zucchini, try my Air Fryer Zucchini Fries or Minestrone Soup with Chicken! Or, if you don't mind the carbs, try my Zucchini and Pumpkin Muffins.

Another Lasagna Recipe, Without the Hassle

Readers who have been around for awhile know I love lasagna, perhaps more than Garfield ever did. In my opinion, my traditional Low FODMAP Lasagna and Low Carb Lasagna Soup (Instant Pot / Slow Cooker) recipes are some of the best tasting recipes on the whole blog. Every year around this time, I try to come up with a new variation on lasagna to keep the lasagna love going. This year, it's this low carb skillet lasagna, which has the flavors of traditional lasagna but far fewer carbs and is way less work to put together.

Low Carb Lasagna with Zucchini

I chose zucchini noodles as a low carb noodle alterative as zucchini are affordable and easily accessible, especially in late summer / early fall in the Northern Hemisphere. The hearts of palm noodles I use in my Low Carb Lasagna Soup are a delicious low carb noodle alterative, but not as accessible or affordable as zucchini (the soup still well worth making, though!). While you could potentially use hearts of palm noodles instead of zucchini noodles - they're certainly a lot easier - I haven't tested this recipe with hearts of palm noodles, so I can't say for sure if it would work well.

Zucchini noodles are easy to make using a mandolin, and it's okay if they're not perfectly cut as you'll never notice once everything is thrown together in the skillet. Due to their high water content, they need to be salted, left to release their moisture, and patted dry with paper towels prior to being added to the skillet. Otherwise, you'll probably end up with a more soup-like mixture, which actually may not be all that bad.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need to make this low carb lasagna with zucchini in a skillet:

• Large oven-safe skillet with a lid. If you don't plan on browning the cheese under the oven's broiler at the end (which is optional but recommended), you don't need oven-safe.
• Mandolin (highly preferred) or a sharp chef's knife
• Chef's knife
• Cutting board
• Parchment paper
• Cheese shredder
• Small mixing bowl
• Flipping spatula
• Stirring spatula
• Ladle or large spoon
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Oven mitt - for broiling option

Ingredients

The ingredients you'll need to make this low carb skillet lasagna extra delicious include:

• Garlic-infused olive oil
• Medium zucchini - the zucchini in the picture above is a lot bigger than what you actually need. It was the smallest one I could find at the farmer's market. If the same thing happens to you, a kitchen scale comes in handy so you don't end up making more noodles than you need.
• Ground beef or turkey
• Sugar-free marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought. I use my own 4-ingredient homemade marinara sauce recipe, so I don't have any recommendations for a store-bought sugar-free option, but they do exist.
• Ricotta cheese
• Low moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded. I shred my own mozzarella coarsely.
• Parmesan cheese, grated. I buy pre-grated parmesan.
• Italian seasoning, homemade or store-bought
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• Fresh chopped parsley or basil chiffonade, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Take the following steps to make low carb lasagna skillet with zucchini:

Prepare the Zucchini

Chop the top and bottom off the zucchini, chop the zucchini in half horizontally and then in half vertically.

Using a mandolin (preferably) or a sharp chef’s knife, thinly slice zucchini into ⅛-inch thick slices. They don't have to be perfectly shaped.

Place zucchini slices in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow to sit for 15 minutes. This helps draw out their moisture so the lasagna won't be too wet.

Cook the Ground Meat

While the zucchini is marinating in salt, preheat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the garlic-infused olive oil and swirl the skillet to coat. Add the ground beef or turkey.

Cook until most of the moisture is gone from the pan, about 8-10 minutes, breaking the meat apart with a spatula as it cooks.

Prepare the Cheese Mixture

While the meat is cooking, in a small mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 tablespoon of garlic-infused olive oil, ½ tablespoon of the Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper...

...until combined. Set aside.

Assemble the Lasagna

Once the meat is cooked, add the marinara sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning to the skillet.

Stir to combine. If your marinara is watery, cook until it reduces to your desired consistency. Temporarily remove skillet from heat.

Using a ladle or large spoon, remove two thirds of the sauce mixture (about 2 cups) from the skillet to a bowl.

Smooth the remaining sauce evenly to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Dry zucchini well on both sides with paper towels. If your parchment paper is really wet, you may want to remove the slices individually from the paper, wrap them in your hand with paper towel to pat them dry, and set them on a dry cutting board.

Layer half of the zucchini slices over the sauce mixture in the skillet.

Then, spread half of the cheese mixture over the zucchini slices. It doesn't have to be spread out perfectly as it will spread out on its own as the lasagna cooks.

Repeat the layers with another third of the sauce, the remaining zucchini slices and cheese mixture, topping with the final third of the sauce.

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top.

Finish Cooking; Brown Cheese (Optional)

Place skillet back on medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Allow to cook, covered, about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly. Remove skillet from heat.

Optionally, you can get a little browning on your cheese by putting the skillet uncovered under the broiler with the oven rack in the second position from the top for 2-3 minutes. Using hot pads and great care not to touch the handle of the skillet with bare hands from this point forward, remove skillet from oven.

Cool and Serve

Allow the skillet lasagna to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into quarters and serving.

Storage

Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

FAQs: Low Carb Skillet Lasagna