Andrea’s Low Carb Lasagna
2- Large zucchini
1 -TBSP Salt
1- Lb. Ground Beef or
Turkey
1 ½ tsp. Black Pepper
1- small green bell pepper ( I used a bag of Roasted peppers
and onions form Schwan’s)
1 – Onion, diced
1 – Cup Tomato paste
1 – 16 oz can tomato sauce ( I used a jar of sauce in place
of paste and sauce)
¼ cup- red wine
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used Dry)
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Oregano (I used Dry)
1- egg
1- Tbsp Fresh Garlic chopped
1 – (15 oz) container low-fat Ricotta Cheese
2- Tbsp Fresh Chopped parsely (you guessed it, I used Dry)
1- Bag fresh spinach (you can use frozen but be sure to
thaw, drain and press the heck out of it.)
1 lb fresh mushrooms
8 oz’s shredded Mozzarella cheese
8 oz’s grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 325˚. Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking
dish.
Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices (a mandolin
would have been useful here!) Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to
drain in a colander. I also dry mine with a paper towel before using.
To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef/turkey
and pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add in
peppers and onion and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain off extra
liquid. Stir in tomato saucs and paste (or jar sauce), wine, basil, and
oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a
boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix together egg, ricotta,
parsley and garlic.
Assemble Lasagna:
Spread half of meat sauce on bottom of greased baking dish.
Layer half of the zucchini slices, half of the ricotta
mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then half of the
shredded mozzarella.
Repeat the layering process starting with the remaining meat
mixture, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture and mozzarella. Spread parmesan
cheese over the top, sprinkle some more parsley on top; cover with foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temp to 350˚
and bake another 15 minute until cheese is completely melted and browned to
your liking. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Note: You can substitute any vegetable. One of my kids hates
mushrooms, so I left them out this time. If you want meatless just replace the
meat with your favorite chopped veggies. Celery, mushrooms, other peppers and
yellow squash all make a great substitute. I like spicy so sometimes I add some
cayenne to the sauce mix.
Happy baking!
