Recipe: Zucchini Lasagna

I love lasagna but not all the carbs. I have taken the standby lasagna and  made a healthy low carb version, full of veggies. I use zucchini instead of pasta. I promise you will not miss the pasta!

I calculated the nutritional data with the ingredients and brands I used, please feel free to change anything, to make it your own.

I use about 1050 grams of zucchini, plus or minus and yes I do weigh it on my scale! I slice it long ways using a mandolin on 3/8 -1/2” thick setting. Zucchini that got lost in the garden, hidden behind leaves and ended up getting too big, are perfect for this recipe.

I use the Hunts Garlic & Herb pasta sauce, it is about $1 a can and low carb – two of my favorite things!  5 grams of net carbs per serving.

Brown the meat. I have made this with ground buffalo, or beef.  You can also use turkey.  Add onion and anything else you would like. I cook the meat, remove any water/fat, then add the pasta sauce and a package of fresh mushrooms when I have them.

Then I add just a bit of the sauce in a 9×13 glass baking dish. I am not sure this step is necessary, before layering the zucchini. The zucchini releases water as it cooks, so nothing ever sticks to the baking dish.

I then layer the zucchini in the baking dish, filling it pretty tight.

I did some intersting zucchini patch work here, but once it is put together you cannot tell.

The next layer is 2- 1/2 cups of cottage cheese, 1 egg, and a few spices.  I usually throw in basil and garlic, to taste.  If you prefer the ricotta cheese please use it. I love ricotta, but prefer a bit less calories and fat.

Mix this together and spread half of the mixture on top of the sliced zucchini.

Add half of the pasta sauce, meat mushroom goodness.

Then repeat the layers.  Start with the remaining sliced zucchini, then add the rest of the cottage cheese mixture.

Last half of the meat sauce.

Grate the mozzarella cheese, and add over the second layer of the meat sauce.

Bake at 350-375 degrees, my oven is a bit cranky, so I bake a bit hotter, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how golden you want it.

I slice this into 6 equal servings, which are quite large, but full of veggies. Let me know how you love it!