If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a quick, healthy and delicious dinner to get on the table. And if you’re like me, you’re also always looking for new ways to sneak vegetables into your family meals without hearing too much complaining.
Well, I’m here to tell you that this dish will meet all of those requirements and more.
For the past several years, numerous recipes have been popping up for Mexican lasagna. Basically, most of them use the same formula. Ground beef or chicken, sautéed with taco seasoning, cheese, sometimes corn, sometimes black beans and then layered in between stacks of tortillas and, at times lasagna noodles. There are numerous vegetarian versions of these recipes as well, which sound amazing but, I have to admit that I have yet to try them just because my family usually likes some sort of meat or fish for dinner.
Every recipe sounds delicious in it’s own way. But, because I was looking for a way to add more vegetables (without sacrificing the meat component) and to simplify the entire cooking process, I decided to do away with the tortillas and lasagna noodles and use layers of beautiful fresh zucchini instead.
Then, instead of store bought taco seasoning which is often packed with salt or a homemade version of this spice mix which requires an extra step, I used good quality store bought salsa and a few spices that you most likely already have in your pantry to season the meat.
The result was a fresh, incredibly delicious and, dare I say ‘healthier’ version of all the Tex-Mex flavors that you know and love. And, best of all, this beautiful, yummy meal can be on the table in under an hour, start to finish.
The Dishy Details
You start with ground beef. Because the beef is not cooked for a long period of time (which can cause it to dry out), I used a more lean variety (90/10) which served as the base for my healthier lasagna. A quick sauté, along with some chopped yellow onions, garlic, cumin and chili powder was the start. Then I added some black beans. Canned are fine for this recipe but, if you happen to have any leftovers from my Black Beans recipe, this would be the time to use them up.
A jar of salsa went in next. This acted not only as another layer of flavoring, but also provided a quick, no frills sauce.
On a whim, I decided to throw in some brown rice for additional protein and texture. But, if you prefer, you can leave this out.
Then I layered the mixture between zucchini ribbons and topped everything off with a mix of Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheese.
A Mexican cheese blend would be great here as well, or really any cheese that you like and happen to have on hand.
The casserole then went in the oven for about 30 minutes and I served it with some sour cream, fresh tomatoes, avocados, green onions and cilantro. THE END!
I hope that you decide to give this Mexican Zucchini Lasagna recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love hearing from everyone and seeing pictures of any recipes that you make. And, above all, thanks so much for stopping by.
Mexican Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef, 10% fat
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (15.5 oz) jar salsa
- 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained
- 1½ cups cooked brown rice
- 2 tbs cilantro plus additional for topping (optional)
- 4 cups shredded cheese (I used a mix of Pepper Jack and extra sharp Cheddar)
- 6 medium zucchini
- sour cream, avocado, green onions and chopped tomatoes for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the beef and onion and season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat until the onions have softened and the meat begins to brown. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the salsa, black beans, rice and cilantro and mix to combine. Remove from heat.
- Peel the zucchini, half each one lengthwise and lay them cut side down on a work surface. Using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, shave ribbons down the length of each zucchini (you may need to discard the first few ribbons from each zucchini if they are too thin).
- Arrange the zucchini in overlapping ribbons to cover the bottom of a non-greased lasagna dish. Spread half the meat mixture over this layer then top with half of the cheese. Cover with another layer of overlapping zucchini ribbons and the rest of the meat mixture. Then add a third layer of overlapping zucchini ribbons and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with sour cream, avocado, green onions, cilantro and chopped tomatoes on the side.