Zucchini Lasagna
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8 • Old Points: 8 pts • Points+: 9 pts Calories: 345 • Fat: 17 g • Carbs: 16 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 36 g • Sugar: 8 g Sodium: 801 (without salt) By replacing the lasagna noodles with thin sliced zucchini you can create a delicious, lower carb (gluten-free) lasagna that's loaded with vegetables, and you won't miss the pasta! The first time I made this, I didn't grill the zucchini first, but there was a lot of liquid so I found grilling it first greatly improved it. I soaked up as much of the liquid as I could with paper towels before layering the ingredients. I think the next time I make this, I'll try it with turkey sausage in place of the ground beef, I bet it will be spectacular! Tip: Using a mandoline is a must to slice the zucchini thin, and it's quick and easy. You can also make the sauce ahead of time if you want to speed this up for a weeknight.
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8 • Old Points: 8 pts • Points+: 9 pts Calories: 345 • Fat: 17 g • Carbs: 16 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 36 g • Sugar: 8 g Sodium: 801 (without salt) By replacing the lasagna noodles with thin sliced zucchini you can create a delicious, lower carb (gluten-free) lasagna that's loaded with vegetables, and you won't miss the pasta! The first time I made this, I didn't grill the zucchini first, but there was a lot of liquid so I found grilling it first greatly improved it. I soaked up as much of the liquid as I could with paper towels before layering the ingredients. I think the next time I make this, I'll try it with turkey sausage in place of the ground beef, I bet it will be spectacular! Tip: Using a mandoline is a must to slice the zucchini thin, and it's quick and easy. You can also make the sauce ahead of time if you want to speed this up for a weeknight.
- Carbohydrate 3.8914312500858 g
- Cholesterol 28.6375000018598 mg
- Fat 1.62991500037964 g
- Fiber 0.975350019171834 g
- Protein 2.8528437508128 g
- Saturated Fat 0.677652875334567 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (92g)
- Sodium 54.948062532309 mg
- Sugar 2.91608123091397 g
- Trans Fat 0.196540125031124 g
- Calories 38 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.
- Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.
- On a gas grill or grill pan, grill zucchini on each side, until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.
- Preheat oven to 180(C) or 350 (F)
- In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well.
- In a 9x12 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil.
- Bake 45 minutes covered at 375°, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
Replacing traditional wheat pasta with water-dense vegetables requires strict moisture control, or the final dish will pool liquid in the pan. Zucchini holds a high water volume that releases during baking. Salting the 1/8-inch slices draws out excess fluid through osmosis, and subsequent grilling evaporates residual water while adding structural integrity. A mandoline ensures uniform thickness so each slice cooks at the identical rate. Simmering the tomato and lean beef sauce for thirty to forty minutes reduces the liquid until it reaches a thick consistency before it ever touches the casserole. Assemble this dish up to twenty-four hours in advance and store it unbaked in the refrigerator. Freeze the unbaked casserole for up to two months, though thaw it completely in the refrigerator before baking. When baking from chilled, maintain the covered stage at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for forty-five minutes, then remove the foil for fifteen minutes to brown the cheese without burning the dairy. Let the casserole rest for ten minutes post-oven to allow the ricotta and egg proteins to set, which makes slicing clean portions possible.
