Low-Carb Lasagna

I love Lasagna. It has all of my favourite things.  Pasta, cheese, tomato sauce, beef, what could go wrong? It really is supreme comfort food.  I made this dish tonight as a low-carb, pasta free alternative to the traditional Italian casserole we all know and love.  There aren’t many changes to your traditional Lasagna in this recipe. The main substitution is zucchini “noodles” in place of regular pasta.

These are incredibly simple and give you the same mouth feel that you get from regular pasta.  All you need is a few large zucchini, and a vegetable peeler.  Start by pulling a small strip, that will be all peel, off the side, then continue shaving long strips all the way through.  A quick tip is to cut the zucchini in half first, so it will lay flat on the cutting board instead of rolling around.

Pase Mio

Ingredients

I also use pre-cooked tomato puree instead of building a sauce from fresh tomatoes. This was a tip I found watching Jamie Oliver, and saves a lot of time in the kitchen.  Fresh tomatoes, while great, take time to cook down to the point where you develop a well-rounded sauce.  This shortcut allows you to have a finished sauce in a matter of a few minutes instead of hours. All you need to do is heat it through. If you’re going to go this route, make sure you read the ingredient list. It should have tomatoes, some salt, and some seasoning.  If there’s anything you can’t pronounce on the label, you shouldn’t be eating it.

You can review the recipe in the slideshow, and as always, I’ve included a printable version and nutrition information.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did for dinner this evening!

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• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Print

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Zucchini
• 225g Sliced Mushrooms
• 500g Ground Sirloin
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Large Shallot
• 2tbsp Olive Oil
• 680ml Tomato Puree (1 bottle)
• Splash of Dry Red Wine (optional)
• 300g Dry Mozzarella
• 475g Smooth Ricotta Cheese (1 container)
• 2tbsp Freshly Chopped Basil
• 2tbsp Freshly Chopped Parsely
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Slice mushrooms – the thinner they are, the faster they’ll cook
2. Chop shallot and garlic.
3. Heat a large deep-dish pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add olive oil, garlic, and shallot to the pan and soften (about 1-2 minutes)
5. Add mushrooms to the pan and saute until lightly caramelized. (about 3 minutes)
6. Move mushrooms to one side of the pan and add ground sirloin
7. Brown the ground sirloin, and slowly incorporate the mushrooms back in.
8. Add a splash of red wine just as the beef is finishing
9. While the alcohol cooks off, chop the fresh basil
10. Add the tomato puree and fresh basil and incorporate into the beef and mushroom mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer.
11. Preheat oven to 350
12. Slice the zucchini with a vegetable peeler and set aside.
13. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of your baking dish and cover with a layer of zucchini
14. Add about half of the remaining sauce and cover with a layer of zucchini
15. Add a layer of ricotta and crack some fresh black pepper over top and cover with a layer of zucchini
16. Add the remaining sauce, and cover with grated mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with fresh parsley.
17. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes – The top should be golden brown
18. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving

Nutrition Information:

Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 362
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18 g	28 %
Saturated Fat 10 g	51 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 101 mg	34 %
Sodium 994 mg	41 %
Potassium 323 mg	9 %
Total Carbohydrate 12 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	12 %
Sugars 7 g
Protein 35 g	70 %
Vitamin A	21 %
Vitamin C	45 %
Calcium	31 %
Iron	15 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.