Loaded Zucchini Bake
Low carb • Sugar-free layers, melted cheese, tomato on top — 35 minutes, six servings
This is a loaded zucchini bake, not a pasta lasagna. Zucchini slices, shredded chicken, cottage cheese, egg, and mozzarella stack into gold-top layers with cherry tomatoes and basil, like the pan and the cut square in the photo. Thirty-five minutes. No noodles, no sugar.
Six servings. Salt the zucchini first or the pan goes watery. Do not overbake or the cheese dries out.
Why you’ll love this bake
- 33g protein per serving — dinner that is not empty
- 6g net carbs — zucchini plus tomato, not pasta sheets
- About 35 minutes, one dish
- Gold cheese, zucchini layers, like the photo
- No boxed mix, no sugar
- It reheats for weekday plates
Health notes
- Protein: Chicken plus cottage cheese, egg, and mozzarella.
- Lower carb than lasagna: Zucchini stands in for noodles. Not keto-zero. 6g net is the zucchini and tomato.
- Six servings: Macros are per square, not the whole pan.
- Pasta or sweet sauce will jump the carbs. Stay with zucchini and sugar-free marinara.
Key element — salt the zucchini, layer thin, pull when the top is gold
Wet zucchini floods the pan. Slice, salt, and pat dry before you stack. Layer zucchini, chicken mix, cheese — repeat — then tomatoes on top, like the bake in the photo. Mix just until the filling holds. Pull at 20 to 25 minutes when the cheese is gold and a knife in the center is hot.
Ingredients
Bake (6 servings)
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup plain cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup sugar-free marinara
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh basil, for the top
Swaps
- Ricotta: Use 1 cup instead of cottage cheese. Blend cottage first if you want it smoother.
- Ground turkey: Brown 1 lb and drain. Same protein range.
- No chicken: Skip it. Protein drops. Add extra egg and cheese so it still sets.
- Pasta or sweet sauce: Skip them. That is how carbs jump.
Instructions
| 1 | Heat. Heat oven to 400 F (200 C). Oil a medium baking dish, like the white pan in the photo. |
| 2 | Dry. Slice zucchini. Salt both sides and sit 5 minutes. Pat dry. Wet slices make a soupy bake. |
| 3 | Mix. Stir chicken, cottage cheese, egg, 1/2 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper just until combined. |
| 4 | Layer. Spoon a thin smear of marinara in the dish. Stack zucchini, chicken mix, mozzarella. Repeat. Finish with zucchini, remaining cheese, and cherry tomatoes, like the photo. |
| 5 | Bake. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the top is gold and the center is hot. Rest 5 minutes. Basil on top. One square is one serving. |
Pro tips
- Salt and pat the zucchini. Skip this and the bake weeps.
- Thin slices layer cleaner, like the cut square in the photo.
- Sugar-free marinara only. Sweet jars add sugar.
- Do not overbake. Dry edges mean it sat too long.
- Rest 5 minutes before you cut or the layers slide.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per serving (1 of 6) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 380 |
| Protein | 33g |
| Net carbohydrates | 6g |
| Total carbohydrates | 8g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Total fat | 22g |
| Sodium | 520mg |
Estimates with zucchini, chicken, cottage cheese, and mozzarella. Pasta or sweet sauce will raise carbs. This is a lower-carb bake, not zero-carb.
Variations
Beef
Swap the chicken for browned ground beef, drained. Same bake time.
Spinach
Squeeze 1 cup thawed spinach dry and fold it into the filling.
Spicy
Add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to the chicken mix.
No tomato
Skip the cherry tomatoes. Net carbs drop a little. Top still needs cheese.
Storage
| Method | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eat now | Best | Serve after the 5-minute rest, while the top is gold |
| Refrigerator | Up to 4 days | Cover. Reheat 15 minutes at 350 F or 60 seconds in the microwave |
| Freezer | Up to 1 month | Wrap squares. Thaw, then warm in the oven so the cheese melts again |
FAQ
Test your knowledge
5 quick questions about this bake
1. Protein per serving?
2. Net carbs per serving?
3. How many servings in a pan?
4. Why salt the zucchini first?
5. Why skip pasta?
