Low-Carb Zucchini Lasagna – No-Noodle

A hearty low-carb zucchini lasagna using zucchini slices instead of noodles.

Zucchini, zucchini, zucchini... quite a lot of them lately. This recipe for low-carb zucchini lasagna is a delicious and very healthy way of using quite a lot of them.

Grilled vegetable slices, wonderful, aromatic ground meat and tomato sauce, easy to make cream cheese sauce, and some more cheese on top. This no-noodle zucchini lasagna is so good you will not even miss the noodles.

Not that I have anything against noodles, I love them dearly, actually. But when I get the chance of cooking a typical noodle dish that tastes just as good as a regular lasagna, but without the many carbs, I go for it!

Plenty of time to get my carbs in other dishes, like these Buttered Noodles with Garlic and Parmesan, why not cook what's possible without them when given the opportunity?

And the tons of zucchini I seem to receive from various garden owners every summer make this possible. I have been cooking this recipe for years now and only in summer.

Ingredients

Zucchini:

• As mentioned above, if you happen to have a glut of zucchini, this no-noodle lasagna is a good way of getting rid of some of them.
• You will need about 2 medium zucchini, which weigh about 600 g/ 1.3 lbs. Make sure that they are medium zucchini. Smaller zucchini are fine as well, but you will spend more time slicing them.
• Large zucchini are not optimal, as they contain too many seeds, and that makes them watery and not ideal for slicing and grilling. If you happen to have large zucchini from the garden though, remove their seeds, chop them and use them to make these delicious Zucchini Pickles.

Ground meat:

• I've made this low-carb zucchini lasagna using either ground mixed beef and pork or ground turkey. While I find both versions super tasty and choose either turkey or mixed meat as I happen to have it, my family tends to find the ground pork and beef slightly better, perhaps a touch heartier than the even healthier and more delicate turkey version.
• But, really the turkey version is delicious as well, if you get the chance, do give both a try and decide what you like best yourself.
• When using pork and beef ground meat, I go for the lean version. Turkey meat is the synonym for lean when it comes to meat, so no other instructions here.

Herbs:

• As I always make this no-noodle lasagna in summer, I use fresh herbs from my herb patch. Unless it is really raining and I don't feel like going outside...
• You can use dried herbs instead, about ½ teaspoon of each dried oregano and dried thyme.
• But no dried parsley please, dried parsley should be banned... it tastes only of dust. Use frozen parsley, if you don't have fresh.

Cheese:

• You can use either full-fat or lower-fat cream cheese, I've tried both and never noticed the difference. When it comes to low-fat cheese, I usually have some with 7% fat or yogurt cream cheese, which has about 16% fat.
• I normally use Gouda cheese, which I grate myself, I find already grated cheese rather tasteless in comparison. Cheddar is a good substitute.

How to grill zucchini slices?

• Wash and dry the zucchini. Remove top and tail.
• Slice the zucchini lengthwise in slices that are about ½ cm/ 0.2 inches thick.
• Brush on both sides with a little olive oil.

• Heat a grill pan on high heat.
• Place a first batch of zucchini in the pan in a single layer, making sure they lay diagonally to the grill grates.
• Turn the heat down to medium.
• Cook the zucchini on one side for 3-4 minutes or until the undersides have nice grill marks.
• Flip over using tongs.
• Grill for another 3-4 minutes or until the second side has grill marks as well and the zucchini are slightly softer.
• Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Continue with the remaining batches of zucchini. I grilled 2 medium zucchini in 3 batches.

How to make?

The recipe can be easily doubled, just use a larger casserole dish if you do that. The quantities enumerated below are enough to serve 2-3 people, if you double the quantities you will have enough for 6 people.

Meat sauce:

• Slice and grill the zucchini as instructed above.
• In the meantime, finely chop the onion and the garlic.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan and cook the onions for a few minutes until softer. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
• Add the ground meat and cook, stirring from time to time and breaking the lumps, until nicely browned, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and sweet paprika powder, some salt and pepper. Stir well for one minute.
• Add the chopped tomatoes from the can and the fresh or dried oregano and thyme.
• Stir well and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat. Adjust the taste again and add the chopped parsley.

White sauce:

• Place the cream cheese and the milk into a bowl. Whisk well until smooth.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and a few gratings of nutmeg.
• Add about ½ of the grated cheese and stir.

Assemble:

• The casserole dish I used for this recipe is 19x23 cm/ 7.5x9 inches. The recipe can be easily doubled. In this case, use a larger casserole dish of about 30x20 cm/ 12x8 inches.
• Brush the dish lightly with whatever olive oil you have left from brushing the zucchini slices. Cover the bottom of the pan with zucchini slices.
• Continue with ⅓ of the tomato meat sauce, then ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture. Add another layer of zucchini slices, then meat sauce and white sauce again. Repeat once more, a total of 3 zucchini, 3 meat, and 3 white sauce layers.
• Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese on top and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.

How to serve?

If you still want to have some carbs on the side, bread or boiled potatoes are perfect. Otherwise, a green salad with yogurt dressing or with vinaigrette is perfect.

The low carb zucchini lasagna can be easily reheated in the oven.

Low-Carb Zucchini Lasagna – No-Noodle

A hearty low-carb zucchini lasagna using grilled zucchini slices instead of noodles.

4.56 from 9 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 3

Calories: 581kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 600 g/ 1.3 lbs/ about 2 medium zucchini
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ 250 g/ 8.8 oz ground meat See note
• ▢ 1 medium onion
• ▢ 1 large garlic clove
• ▢ ½ tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ [1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder]
• ▢ 1 can chopped tomatoes 400 g/ 14 oz
• ▢ [½ teaspoon dried oregano or ½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano]
• ▢ [½ teaspoon dried thyme or ½ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme]
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• ▢ 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ scant ½ cup cream cheese full-fat or lower fat
• ▢ 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ½ cup milk
• ▢ a few gratings of nutmeg
• ▢ 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ 1 cup grated cheese Gouda, cheddar
• ▢ fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

How to grill zucchini slices:

• Cut the zucchini lengthwise into rather thin slices, about ½ cm – 0.2 inches thick.
• Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a small bowl. Brush the zucchini slices with olive oil on both sides.
• Heat a grill pan and arrange some of the zucchini slices in the pan, in one layer.
• Grill on one side for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat or until the undersides have nice grill marks. Flip using tongs and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the zucchini slices are slightly softer and nicely charred.
• Transfer the cooked slices to a large plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Repeat with the remaining zucchini batches, I had 3 batches. Save the remaining olive oil for brushing the casserole dish.

Meat sauce:

• Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Chop the onion finely and cook for about 2 minutes or until slightly softer. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for 1 more minute while stirring.
• Add the ground meat and cook, stirring from time to time and breaking the lumps, until nicely browned, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper, paprika powder and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Pour the canned tomatoes into the pan, add the oregano and thyme and let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes on low heat. Adjust the taste again and add the chopped parsley.

White sauce:

• In the meantime preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grate the cheese.
• Whisk together the milk and the cream cheese until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and some nutmeg to taste. Add ½ of the grated cheese to this mixture and stir well.

Assemble the zucchini lasagna:

• The size of the casserole dish is 19x23 cm/ 7.5x9 inches. If you double the quantities use a larger casserole dish of about 30x20 cm/ 12x8 inches.
• Brush the dish lightly with whatever olive oil you have left from brushing the zucchini slices. Cover the bottom of the pan with zucchini slices.
• Continue with ⅓ of the tomato meat sauce, then ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture. Add another layer of zucchini slices, then meat sauce and white sauce again. Repeat once more, a total of 3 zucchini, 3 meat, and 3 white sauce layers.
• Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese on top of the zucchini lasagna and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
• Serve as suggested above.

Notes

The zucchini lasagna can be made with either ground mixed beef and pork or with ground turkey.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/3 of the dish | Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 1146mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g

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