One of the things I miss most about a lower carb lifestyle is lasagna! I love the high protein content from the meat sauce and cheese and the creamy and delicious taste of the ricotta filling. I have discovered a way to make one of my favorite dishes low carb but still taste just as good by substituting zucchini for the lasagna noodles. A single serving is over 30 grams of protein and under 20 grams of carbohydrates. It is perfect served with a simple salad or some steamed broccoli.
It is important to me to buy a clean marinara sauce that has very few, simple ingredients. Rao’s is one of my favorites. It does not have any added sugar and has a really amazing taste.
Check out the easy recipe below!
Ingredients:
4 large zucchini, cut into 1/8 inch lengthwise slices
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
2 lbs grass fed ground beef
2 jars of marinara sauce (I live @Raos)
1 15 ozcontainer ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Fresh chopped basil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil and place the thinly sliced zucchini on the baking sheet. Brush the zucchini with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, flipping zucchini halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.
In the meantime, in a large saucepan, crumble the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat. Add the marinara sauce and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix together until well combined.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish with olive oil. Place a few spoonfuls of meat sauce sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with zucchini, then more meat sauce, then a few spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese mixture and top with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat this 3 more times, or until you have completed 3-4 layers of each, dividing each ingredient evenly in each layer. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until slightly brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Sprinkle with basil and serve with your favorite salad!
Enjoy!
