This delicious freezer zucchini lasagna recipe is full of nutrient-rich vegetables, and is a great way to preserve a bountiful zucchini harvest! With layers of creamy ricotta, rich and hearty vegetable and meat sauce, tasty zucchini slices, and perfectly melted cheese, Freezer Zucchini Lasagna is a crowd-pleaser.
When zucchini is so abundant you can't even give it away, take the opportunity to create freezer meals that will make use of it all year long.
This Freezer Zucchini Lasagna, like my popular freezer-friendly Zucchini Quiche, holds up well in the freezer and is naturally low carb. By making one for the freezer while you make one for dinner, you make the most of your time.
Jump to:
Video
What you need to make Freezer Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Marinara sauce
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Non-stick cooking spray
See recipe card for quantities.
How to choose and prepare zucchini
Look for firm, medium-sized (6-8 inches) zucchini without blemishes. Avoid zucchini with nicks and cuts. As with many vegetables, larger zucchini often have less taste and an undesirable texture. Since the zucchini is sliced lengthwise, avoid curved zucchini and look for long, straight squash.
Store zucchini in the refrigerator in the vegetable crisper, and wash just before using. There is no need to peel before slicing.
How to make Freezer Zucchini Lasagna
Preheat oven to 425°F.
While the ground beef is cooking, dice the onion, chop the broccoli and cauliflower, and mince the garlic.
Combine the cooked ground beef, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large skillet and sauté for about five minutes.
Add the marinara sauce to your meat/vegetable mixture and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While your meat mixture is cooking, cut the stem off of the zucchini, wash, and slice length-wise. A mandoline slicer is the easiest way to get even slices, but you can just use a knife if you don't have a mandoline.
On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spread zucchini slices in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through bake time.
Remove the zucchini from oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
In a lightly sprayed 9x13" baking dish, assemble your lasagna as follows: layer ⅓ of sauce mixture followed by a layer of ⅓ of zucchini, a layer of ½ of the 2 cups ricotta cheese, a layer of ⅓ of the 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and a layer of ⅓ of the 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
Repeat all layers: ⅓ of meat, ⅓ of zucchini, remainder of ricotta, ⅓ of Parmesan, and ⅓ of Mozzarella.
For the final layer, use the remainder of the sauce mix, remainder of zucchini, and the rest of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Tip - You can make this freezer zucchini lasagna ahead of time. Prepare up to the point of baking, and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or the freezer for up to 6 months. To bake from the refrigerator, let the lasagna sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking as instructed. From the freezer, see the freezer instructions below.
Substitutions
- Gluten-free - This dish uses "zucchini noodles" instead of pasta, so it's already gluten-free.
- Low carb - Since it uses zucchini, this dish is already a low carb zucchini lasagna. Choosing a marinara with a low sugar content will keep the carbs low.
- Vegetarian - Omit the ground beef for a delicious vegetarian lasagna.
- Alpha-gal version - Serve vegetarian as above, or substitute ground turkey for the ground beef. If dairy is also a problem, substitute plant-based c products.
Storage & freezer instructions
Store in the refrigerator covered for up to 4 days.
Hint: If you plan to freeze the lasagna, you do not need to cook it first. Since all of the ingredients are cooked, you can freeze after assembling.
To freeze, wrap tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and label as follows. Keeps in freezer for up to 6 months.
Freezer Zucchini Lasagna Date____________________
Reheat at 350ºF for 50+ minutes from frozen or 25-30 minutes from thawed until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. If you prefer more browning, remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
FAQ
How do you keep zucchini lasagna from getting watery?
Watery lasagna is usually the result of vegetables with a high water content that have not been precooked. Using zucchini slices as the lasagna noodles increases the water content, so releasing that moisture before assembling the lasagna is important.
Slice and bake the zucchini before using in the lasagna to remove much of the water content and prevent its release into the lasagna. Another method to remove water is to slice the zucchini and lay it in a strainer and salt it, turn it over and repeat. Let the slices sit in the strainer over something to catch the liquid for an hour or two, then rinse and pat dry before use in the lasagna.
If you add other vegetables with a high water content, you will need to reduce the water before use to prevent watery lasagna.
For more flavor and better consistency this recipe uses marinara sauce instead of tomatoes or tomato sauce, and choosing a marinara with a lower water content will also help.
Can you freeze zucchini lasagna?
You can freeze zucchini lasagna for up to six months. It does not need to be cooked after assembly since all of the ingredients are cooked. Seal tightly with foil and label with "Zucchini Lasagna - Reheat at 350ºF for 50+ minutes from frozen or 25-30 minutes from thawed until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. If you prefer more browning, remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes."
How long to cook a lasagna from frozen?
Frozen lasagna should be cooked at 350ºF for 50+ minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Recipe
Freezer Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound cooked ground beef
- 1 small onion
- 2 cups broccoli
- 2 cups cauliflower
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Prepare 1 pound cooked ground beef.
- Cut the stems off of the 4 zucchini, wash, and slice length-wise.
- Dice 1 small onion, and chop 2 cups broccoli, 2 cups cauliflower, and 2 cups spinach. Mince 2 cloves garlic.
- On a parchment lined cookie sheet, line prepared zucchini slices in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, turning once half way through bake time.
- Remove zucchini from oven; reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
- Combine cooked ground beef, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large skillet and sauté for about five minutes.
- Add 24 ounces marinara sauce to meat/vegetable mixture and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a lightly sprayed 9x13" baking dish, assemble lasagna as follows: layer ⅓ of sauce mixture followed by a layer of ⅓ of zucchini, a layer of ½ of the 2 cups ricotta cheese, a layer of ⅓ of the 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and a layer of ⅓ of the 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat all layers: ⅓ of meat, ⅓ of zucchini, remainder of ricotta, ⅓ of Parmesan, and ⅓ of Mozzarella.
- For final layer, use remainder of sauce mix, remainder of zucchini, and the rest of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
- Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
Adapted from Zucchini Lasagna at Dashing Dish.
Judy Mitchell
We had an abundance of zucchini so I made zucchini lasagnas and froze some of them, (8x8”) fully cooked.
How do you recommend reheating it? I’ve read a couple of different suggestions that contradict each other!
Mary Ann
For items that are fully cooked, I usually reheat them with foil on top so they don't brown further. I would do 350ºF and plan on 50+ minutes from frozen and 25-30 minutes from thawed. Depending on how browned they are, I might remove the foil during the last 10-15 minutes of cook time. That doesn't mean other methods are incorrect; sometimes there are different routes to the same destination.