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Pesto Zucchini Lasagna

Pesto zucchini lasagna is a no-noodle, low-carb Italian-American bake with vibrant emerald pesto layered with creamy ricotta and golden mozzarella. You’ll roast zucchini planks, assemble in a 9x13 dish, then bake until bubbly and slice-ready with pesto ribbons in every cut.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
resting 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian, Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Zucchini and sweating
  • 4 zucchini slice into thin planks
  • 1 tsp salt for sweating
Basil pesto
  • 2 cup fresh basil packed; use store-bought pesto if preferred
  • 0.333 cup pine nuts
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 0.5 cup parmesan grated; for pesto
  • 0.333 cup olive oil
  • salt to taste
Ricotta layer
  • 2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 0.25 cup parmesan grated; for ricotta mix
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • black pepper
  • 2 cup mozzarella shredded
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped (optional)
Serving
  • extra pesto drizzle over slices
  • basil for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 9x13 baking dish
  • 1 oven

Method
 

Roast the zucchini
  1. Salt the zucchini planks and let them rest for 20 minutes to sweat out moisture.
  2. Pat the zucchini dry, then roast at 425°F for 10 minutes until the edges look slightly dried.
Make basil pesto
  1. Blend the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan, then stream in the olive oil and blend until smooth.
  2. Season the pesto with salt to taste, then set aside.
Mix ricotta layer
  1. Mix the ricotta with the egg, parmesan, basil, salt, and pepper until evenly combined.
Assemble and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Spread 3 tablespoons of pesto on the bottom of a 9x13 dish.
  3. Layer the roasted zucchini planks, spread ricotta, dollop and spread pesto generously, scatter sun-dried tomatoes if using, and top with mozzarella; repeat layers ending with mozzarella.
  4. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes until the top is golden.
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the lasagna for 15 minutes so the layers set and slice cleanly.
  2. Serve with extra pesto drizzled over each slice and garnish with basil.

Notes

Pro tip: for the cleanest slices, make sure the roasted zucchini is well-patted dry before assembling—this prevents watery layers. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat at 350°F until warmed through. Freezing is not ideal because zucchini texture can soften. If you want a vegetarian swap, just keep the recipe as-is (it already is vegetarian); for dairy-light cooking, you can use part-skim ricotta and reduced-fat mozzarella.