zucchini skillet lasagna

I promise you won't miss the noodles.

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My incredibly fit, strong, ex-Navy SEAL husband has fallen into a self-proclaimed “dad bod era” as of late. Things have been crazy with work, he’s been picking up a ton of slack because his wife is hella pregnant, and, ya know, life. Getting a lil bit chunky just happens sometimes.

In his past career, he quite literally exercised for a living, so his metabolism was off the chain and he could eat whatever the hell he wanted and still look like he’d descended straight from Mount Olympus.

But a quick workout between the office and preschool pickup? Not quite conducive to the chiseled Greek God look.

One day a couple of months ago — upon realizing that none of his pants fit anymore — he decided that the dad bod had to go. And when George sets his mind to something, he doesn’t mess around.

But after six weeks of sticking to a truly bonkers military exercise program and frustratingly losing zero weight, he decided to actually do a bit of research about weight loss. He learned what so many of us already know — abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. Weight loss is much more closely tied to diet than exercise!

He learned about portion control and nixed his late night snacking. He has not cut a single thing out of his diet — dairy, grains, sugar, all the things, they’re still on his food pyramid — he simply eats less of them.

Oh, I should also mention his number one diet tip: he’s swapped out his beloved IPAs for Coors Lights. Body By George™.

And… wouldn’t ya know it? The little shit has lost almost 20 pounds in less than a month. (While his wife is doing *quite* the opposite, might I mention.)

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so… is this lasagna on the diet plan?

First of all, I truly believe that regular, carb-heavy, cheese-heavy lasagna can be a part of a healthy diet. But, a very small part… ya know? Lasagna every night is not exactly going to help you get “shredded,” as George would say.

This lasagna, however — made with strips of zucchini instead of pasta — is absolutely packed with vegetables and protein. And hell yeah, cheese! Does cheese hurt your stomach? OK, use dairy-free cheese! It’s fabulous here. There, we solved it — now all of my gluten-free, dairy-free, dad bod-banishing, AND just plain ole lasagna-loving peeps can enjoy a lasagna together.

In fact, I dare you to not tell your family that you used zucchini instead of noodles. See if they even notice!

P.S. — Want to make it with regular noodles? Check out the subs section!

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i’m hosting this weekend…

I would absolutely serve this lasagna for company — it doesn’t read as “diet food” in the slightest. It highlights zucchini, which is in season right now, it’s show-stopping in its skillet presentation, and it’s absolutely delicious.

When I serve this to my family, I don’t make side dishes. It has everything we need, right in one big slice of lasagna. But if I was serving it for company, I’d serve it along with:

• Negronis

• The Greatest Kale Salad Ever (minus the crispy chicken and nectarine)

• Chocolate Pot de Creme

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this is kind of a lot of effort…?

I’m willing to admit that cutting and salting the zucchini is a decent lift. It is not difficult, however, and I know you are all up to the challenge. But if you want a shortcut — you can buy zucchini noodles at the grocery store (or use your spiralizer, if you have one), simply stir them into the sauce, top with cheese, bake, and call it a “spaghetti pie” instead of a lasagna. Still delicious, but will serve up as more of a loose pasta than a constructed dish.

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skillet zucchini lasagna

Serves 4 to 6 

Cook time: ~1 hour

Tools:

• 10 or 12-inch oven-proof skillet (a 10 inch will be very full, but it works! Cast iron is ideal but anything works!)

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• Large mixing bowl

• Medium mixing bowl (or another large)