Easy Zucchini Lasagna Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my zucchini lasagna watery? ›

Prep Your Zucchini: Salting and draining the zucchini before assembling the lasagna helps to remove excess moisture. It's an important step to avoid a watery lasagna. Just be sure to pat them dry before using. Use a mandolin for slicing the zucchini to ensure the noodles cook evenly.

For this recipe, we help reduce excess moisture by using no-boil noodles, cooking the mushrooms, onion and bell peppers before adding them to the lasagna, and squeezing the liquid out of the cooked spinach with a kitchen towel. You want your veggies as dry as possible so you are not adding more moisture than necessary.

Slice and salt zucchini in advance of cooking to draw out some of the vegetable's excess moisture (while also seasoning it more thoroughly). To do this, cut up a pound of zucchini and toss it with ½ teaspoon of table salt. Let it drain in a colander for about 30 minutes before patting it dry and cooking it.

Betony Kitchen says you could make lasagna with as little as two layers for a quick lasagna that doesn't take long to bake. Many, however, would consider this skimping. Most recipes you'll find for lasagna call for a minimum of three layers, which seems to be the universal standard.

Watery tomatoes aren't the only culprit for soupy lasagna: Oils from cheese and meat and water from lasagna noodles and vegetables can affect your lasagna's consistency. Draining excess fat from ground beef or sausage before adding it to tomato sauce is imperative to maintain a thick sauce.

Cornstarch is cheap and widely available at most grocery stores with the flours and baking products. To use cornstarch as a thickening agent for lasagna sauce, add it in a slurry to the sauce as it simmers. A slurry consists of equal parts cornstarch and cold liquid.

The smooth and creamy center needs time to settle and firm up. That means you should let your lasagna cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in. I know, I know.. the agony! But if you're going for aesthetically pleasing pasta, patience is required.

Lay grated vegetables out in a single layer or place in a colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Place grated zucchini in a cheesecloth or a thin dish towel and strain until all of the moisture comes out.

Salting and draining ensures the zucchini doesn't turn into a soggy mess while frying. This method also works for roasted zucchini, grilled zucchini, or baked zucchini if you're looking to remove as much water as possible.

How do you firm up zucchini? ›

Arrange the zucchini pieces into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It will stick to the pan if you don't line it first!) Freeze the zucchini for about 1 hour, until it's firm to the touch, then transfer it to an airtight container to preserve the flavor as you store it.

Mistake number 9: serving it as soon as it's out of the oven

Do you struggle with trying to cut freshly baked lasagna without it falling apart. As tempting as it might be to dig in right away, letting it rest for at least half an hour is key. Once it's had time to settle, cutting it into equal squares is easy peasy.

Sweet potato - Thinly sliced sweet potato can be used in place of lasagna noodles, creating a slightly sweet and savory dish. Sweet potato noodles can be boiled or baked before layering them into the lasagna. Wonton wrappers - Wonton wrappers are thin sheets of dough that are commonly used in Asian cuisine.

Spiralised vegetables make healthy pasta noodle replacement and strips of aubergine and courgettes can be layered as a pasta sheets.

How do you make lasagna less watery? Use the oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles. It absorbs some of the extra liquid released from the cheeses and sauce and keep it firmer. Also, do NOT use part-skim mozzarella or ricotta - use the whole milk versions.

Zucchini gets soggy when it's overcooked. Zucchini contains a lot of water, which is trapped in little cells within its flesh.

Sprinkle salt on the vegetables and let them sit overnight (or at least 6-8 hours), if possible. Remove the salt and the excess water by flushing in running water, then draining well and pressing between layers of paper towels before cooking them or by spinning the vegetables in a salad spinner.

If a plant is overwatered, it will likely develop yellow or brown limp, droopy leaves as opposed to dry, crispy leaves (which are a sign of too little water). Wilting leaves combined with wet soil usually mean that root rot has set in and the roots can no longer absorb water.