Zucchini Lasagna Roll Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my zucchini lasagna watery? ›

Zucchini is 95% water so it is important to draw out the water from the zucchini before baking or the lasagna will be a watery mess.

The biggest offender, though, is watery, thin pasta sauce. A helpful technique can prevent this pitfall from sabotaging your lasagna: Reduce your sauce to thicken it before pouring it into the casserole. A thin sauce runs right off of cooked lasagna noodles, causing all the layers to slide off of each other, as well.

When the lasagna is ready it is difficult to resist the temptation to immediately eat it, but be careful because even in this case you have to be a little patient. Wait for your lasagna to rest for about 20 minutes once it is baked, in this way it will not fall apart when cut.

Don't overcrowd the pan, which can cause the zucchini to steam instead of roast. Unless you have time to salt and drain the zucchini, wait to salt it until after they're cooked so the salt doesn't draw out the moisture in the oven—this can lead to sogginess.

Cooking is what really makes zucchini release moisture. However, sometimes even uncooked zucchini can get a little limp after it's cut. In this case, to reduce excess moisture, simply pat the spiralized noodles dry with paper towels or a thin kitchen rag.

Yes it's tempting to cut into the lasagna right when you pull it from the oven, but let it rest on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes. This will help firm up all the layers and make it much easier to slice a square. And of course you can make it a day ahead or in the morning then reheat.

Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!

She also suggests raising your oven temperature a bit and using a thickening agent in your sauce. So either add more meat OR more tomato paste, if your lasagna is meatless. (And no, foregoing that first layer of sauce at the bottom isn't necessary.)

Assemble the lasagna in an oven-safe container and store it in the refrigerator. The temperature should be at or below 40 degrees. When you are ready to cook the lasagna, bake it in the oven for approximately 60 minutes at 375 degrees.

What not to do when making lasagna? ›

Cook your vegetables separately.

Having a proper amount of vegetables will help the lasagna maintain its shape, and will keep everything moist, but not watery.

Pat zucchini dry

Once sliced, zucchini slowly releases water, or "sweats", as it sits. Using a tea towel or paper towels, gently pat both sides of your zucchini dry before continuing with the recipe.

If the eggplant is still a bit raw before layering, it still has water to release, and it will make the lasagna watery. Second, be sure to cook the tomato sauce down for the full 20 minutes. We're letting water evaporate as well as concentrating the flavor of the tomatoes.