KETO Zucchini Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

• 5 medium zucchinis (2 lb. total weight)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/3 cup marinara sauce, divided
• 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, packed (1 oz)
• 8 oz part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

Grill the zucchini slices:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat your grill to medium. Slice the zucchinis lengthwise, into 1/4-inch-thick strips, getting 6 slices out of each zucchini.
• Spray the zucchini slices with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
• Grill the zucchini slices, in batches, 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and firm – not browned and crisp. Spread them on clean kitchen towels to soak up more moisture.

Cook the beef and prepare the ricotta layer:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the meat, the minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until the meat is browned, 5-7 minutes. Drain into a colander, then return the meat to the pot and mix in 1 cup of the marinara sauce.
• In another bowl, with a fork, mix together the ricotta, eggs, basil, and the remaining kosher salt and black pepper.

Assemble the lasagna:

• Spread the remaining 1/3 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish. Top the marinara sauce with a layer of zucchini, then a third of the ricotta mixture, a third of the meat mixture, and a third of the mozzarella cheese.
• Repeat, arranging the zucchini slices in the opposite direction: zucchini, 1/3 ricotta, 1/3 meat mixture, 1/3 mozzarella.
• Repeat one last time, adding one extra layer of zucchini: zucchini, ricotta, meat mixture, more zucchini, and mozzarella.

Bake the lasagna:

• Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is golden, about 30 minutes. You can finish by broiling for 1-2 minutes on high to brown the cheese, if you wish and if your dish is broiler-safe.

NOTES

Grilling works best to remove the water from the zucchini. But as an alternative to grilling, you can bake the zucchini slices in a 500F oven until golden, about 5 minutes on each side. Or, if your pan is broiler-safe and you use unbleached parchment paper marked as broiler-safe, you can broil them 6 inches from the heating element (not directly below), 3-4 minutes per side. Remember to set the oven to 350F when you’re done.NUTRITION INFONutrition info is approximate. It is calculated using the SparkPeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Please read the disclaimers in our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Please verify they are before using.