Noodling in Low Carb Land

As I have mentioned, I have been on a low carb diet from time to time. As a carb-o-holic, it is a true sacrifice, but I do find it works. Unfortunately, I will often start slipping the carbs back in and then more and more and back to the bag of potato chips.

One of the big carb items I end up missing is pasta. I am not sure if it is the pasta part per se, or the whole dish that uses pasta. One pasta dish that I have had some success with in low carb land is lasagna. In one iteration, I make it as you’d make any lasagna, but leave out the noodles. Unfortunately it tends to fall apart quite a bit.

This version substitutes long, thin slices of zucchini in place of the noodles. While they don’t hold up as well as the noodles, they work.

A hearty, rich dish.

Like any lasagna, there are quite a few ingredients.

I used a mandolin to get nice shaves of the zucchini.

Peppers, onions and the beef.

With the sauce.

Start your layering with the zucchini.

Add some cheese.

Meat. Repeat. Top with cheese.

There is nothing quite like a layer of nicely browned cheese on something. Am I right???

You can see the zucchini/noodles poking through.

Beautiful!

No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Makes: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• hot water as needed
• 1 egg
• 1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9×13 inch baking pan.

2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander.

3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato 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 sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.

5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Info:

Nutrition Amount Per Serving (8 total) Calories 494 cal 25% Fat 27.3 g 42% Carbs 23.2 g 7% Protein 41.3 g 83% Cholesterol 121 mg 40% Sodium 2200 mg 88% Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/172958/no-noodle-zucchini-lasagna