Zucchini Lasagna (No Carb)
This is the no carb alternative to my heavenly melt in your mouth ricotta lasagna recipe – its the same recipe, but substitutes thinly sliced zucchini in place of the lasagna noodles. Gives you a good serving of vegetables hidden in a scrumptious lasagna. Better than that, more than simply being hidden, the zucchini adds a richness to the already delectable flavor. If I get on a kick of making lasagna frequently, this is a great way to add some variation so it doesnt always seem the same, and the zucchini makes it health-ified and cleaner eating than traditional lasagna. Thank heaven for the person who invented oven-ready lasagna noodles! I usually go that route, but today when I discovered I was out, I used whole wheat lasagna noodles which is healthier, and wasnt as much of a pain as I thought they would be to precook in the microwave, they turned out pretty much perfect, but I did keep an eye to make sure they wouldnt over cook and I manually switched around the orientation of the noodles about 4 or 5 minutes in. Eventually they ended up toppled into the bowl, and cooked evenly. The other trick is to use the biggest microwavable bowl you have, and fill it close to the top with water. For yet another a variation, you can add a very thin layer of cooked, chopped spinach on top of each layer of ground beef and pack even more nutrition and veggies into it (Mom would be nodding her head in approval, right Ma …?)
NOTE: For the parmesan cheese I like using the shredded Kraft brand for melting on lasagna or Moussaka, whereas, for putting on a salad I like the compliments brand because it is finer and more delicate and the Kraft is thicker so when it melts it doesnt just disappear. The right tool for the job!
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 5 1/2 oz can tomato paste
5 1/2 oz water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb extra lean ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 lb Ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese, but it will lost the melt-in-your-mouth factor)
1 Very large long zucchini, cut into thin slices to resemble lasagna noodles (to replace 6 lasagna noodles)
3/4 lb Mozzerella cheese
1/4 c grated Parmesean cheese
To make the sauce, saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, for one hour, before proceeding, stirring often. Preheat oven to 350º F. Saute beef until no longer pink. Combine eggs, Ricotta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bottom of a lasagna dish with a thin layer of sauce, then a layer of the zucchini; top with a layer of beef, then Ricotta, then thin slices of Mozzerella and another layer of sauce. Repeat the process until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of zucchini, topped with Mozzerella, topped by sauce, and then sprinkled with Parmesean cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until top is bubbly. Serves 4-6.
Note: To “healthify” this recipe and turn it low-carb, substitute slices of a very large zucchini (skin on) for the lasagna noodles. After slicing into long strips, sprinkle with sea salt, and set aside for 15 Minutes. The salt will draw the moisture from the zucchini so you don’t end up with a soggy lasagna. Pat dry with paper towel before layering the zucchini into the pan.
