Have you ever thought about using zucchini instead of pasta in lasagna? The idea might sound strange, but don't toss it out just yet. One taste of this cheesy lasagna and you'll be glad I developed this easy and delicious Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna! Serve it with a green salad for a satisfying meal.
Why This Recipe Works
A friend recently gave me three huge zucchini. The zucchini was grown by her husband, Tim.
The reason the zucchini was so huge is that Tim is a firefighter and was away fighting fires, instead of tending to his garden.
Poor Tim expected Cindi to be minding the garden. Unfortunately, gardening is not one of Cindi's strong suits— shopping is!
By the time Tim came back home, the zucchini he had so lovingly tended, were as large as baseball bats!
Cindi gave me some of the zucchini, and the rest is history!
In the past, if someone had given me zucchini, I would have immediately thought of making zucchini bread; one of my all-time favorites!
But now that I’m eating healthier, I decided to use the zucchini to make something a little healthier.
The zucchini slices are the perfect, low carb replacement to traditional lasagna noodles. They hold up to the sauce, yet soak up all the delicious lasagna flavors and juices. Trust me, you'll never miss the pasta with this delicious recipe!
How to Make This Recipe
Wash zucchini and slice off ends. Slice into long strips using the thick setting (⅛”) on a mandolin.
Place zucchini slices over a napkin-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and set aside to allow the zucchini to release its moisture.
Meanwhile, add the ground beef and sausage to a large, deep pan.
Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon as you stir and cook the meat over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, along with all the herbs and spices. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
Empty two cans of stewed tomatoes into a blender and pulse until liquified.
Pour the liquified stewed tomatoes over the meat and vegetables, along with the red wine and tomato paste. Stir, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, blot out the liquid off of the zucchini slices with additional paper-towels.
Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and brown the zucchini strips on both sides and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour ½ cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish.
Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of zucchini strips.
Top the zucchini with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, followed by 2½ cups of mozzarella cheese and 2 cups of sauce. Repeat these steps one more time.
Use the small or uneven pieces of zucchini for this middle layer, saving the larger pieces for the top layer.
Add the third layer of zucchini, followed by the remaining sauce. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove lasagna from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Top the lasagna with the remaining mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese and place back in the oven, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.
Allow to stand for 15 minutes or so, before serving.
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Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 lbs zucchini (extra large)
- 2 tsp. salt (divided)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 3 links Italian Sausage (casing removed)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ medium green pepper (chopped)
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms (chopped)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 14.5 oz cans chopped stewed tomatoes
- ¼ cup red wine
- 2 T. tomato paste
- cooking spray
- 3 T. parmesan cheese
- 7 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Wash zucchini and slice off ends. Slice into long strips using the thick setting (⅛”) on a mandolin.
- Place zucchini slices over a napkin-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and set aside to allow the zucchini to release it’s moisture.
- Meanwhile, add the ground beef and sausage to a large, deep pan.
- Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon as you stir and cook the meat over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, along with all the herbs and spices. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
- Empty two cans of stewed tomatoes into a blender and pulse until liquified.
- Pour the liquified stewed tomatoes over the meat and vegetables, along with the red wine and tomato paste. Stir, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, blot out the liquid off of the zucchini slices with additional paper-towels.
- Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and brown the zucchini strips on both sides and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour ½ cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish. - Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of zucchini strips.
- Top the zucchini with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, followed by 2½ cups of mozzarella cheese and 2 cups of sauce. Repeat these steps one more time.
- Use the small or uneven pieces of zucchini for this middle layer, saving the larger pieces for the top layer.
- Add the third layer of zucchini, followed by the remaining sauce. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove lasagna from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Top the lasagna with the remaining mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese and place back in the oven, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.
- Allow to stand for 15 minutes or so, before serving.
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