Yaidy Santiago This zucchini lasagna recipe keto friendly is a healthier twist on the classic Italian lasagna and is amazing for those on a weight loss journey.
This recipe uses zucchini noodles instead of regular lasagna pasta sheets making it perfectly gluten-free and keto-based but still as satisfying and fulfilling as a classic lasagna.
It’s very similar in texture and has all the flavors you love about this hearty Italian dish. The zucchini slices are a great substitute for healthy lasagna noodles in this recipe.
These low carb lasagne sheets sliced out of zucchini will give a very fresh flavor to the lasagna and is keto-approved as well as vegetarian friendly.
Lasagna has been my favorite pasta dish since my childhood but now I finally found the perfect way to make it keto-friendly without carbs and still taste delicious and fulfilling.
I make this zucchini lasagna recipe keto on an almost weekly basis since it’s easy to prepare and perfect for a weeknight as well as a side dish on a family dinner spread. This recipe needs very basic staple ingredients usually always available in your pantry. Easy to make and healthy to eat!
Is zucchini keto?
Zucchini ranks very high in the keto-friendly vegetable world as it’s very low on carbs. This vegetable is very commonly used as an alternative to pasta due to its low carb quality. People now refer to zucchini noodles as “zoodles”.
According to Healthline, one cup of zucchini (around 223g) has 3 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of fiber. Because of the low net carb count, zucchini is considered keto-friendly.
Because of this, zucchini is used as healthy lasagna noodles in a variety of recipes as a substitute for wheat-based pasta and noodles. We’re using low carb lasagne sheets in our recipe made out of zucchini slices for their keto-based and gluten-free nature and it helps the lasagna hold its shape.
Ingredients
This Zucchini lasagna recipe keto involves very simple and easily available ingredients. You’ll find the exact measurements for ingredients used in this recipe in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Some additional information about each of them is mentioned below.
Zucchini Lasagna Recipe Ingredients:
- 3 medium size zucchinis
- 2 cups mozzarella, distributed
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ⅔ water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Meat:
- 2 lb ground meat (I used ground chicken)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
Zucchini noodles:
Zucchinis are the star ingredient of this recipe. The zucchinis need to be sliced into healthy lasagna noodles first. You can use a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer to slice zucchinis for perfect low carb lasagne sheets.
If using a mandolin slicer, the slices will have uniform thickness but if you don’t have one (like me) you can easily use a sharp knife as well.
When slicing with a knife, place the zucchini on your cutting board and slice the ends first, then use the knife to slice down 1/8 inch thick long uniform slices.
Should I cook the zucchini beforehand?
The zucchini doesn’t need to be cooked beforehand because it’ll cook through perfectly in the oven while layered.
However, if you want to cut down baking time in the lasagna, you could grill them beforehand. This would also help the low carb lasagne sheets made of zucchini slices reduce their water content.
Tips for watery zucchini slices:
Ground Chicken or Ground Beef?
The classic lasagna contains ground beef but we’re using the ground chicken to make it low fat and healthier.
- Ground chicken is leaner meat with fewer calories than ground beef.
- Ground chicken is lower in fat and cholesterol than ground beef.
- Ground chicken is leaner than ground beef, with less saturated fat.
- Ground chicken often contains more water and therefore cooks faster than ground beef.
- Ground chicken is an excellent alternative to ground beef, as it has the same amount of protein but contains less than half in saturated fats.
- Ground chicken has less fat than other alternatives but still tastes delicious.
The ground chicken can be mixed with whatever spices and seasonings the cook desires, which makes it perfect for this keto-friendly zucchini lasagna.
Mozzarella cheese:
In this recipe, mozzarella cheese is used to layer up with the ground chicken and zucchini slices.
According to Healthline, with a total carb count of 1 gram per ounce, It’s a keto-friendly cheese to keep on hand. Mozzarella also contains probiotics, which have been shown to improve digestive health and emotional health.
A perfect choice of cheese for our low-carb zucchini lasagna!
Olive oil:
Olive oil is used in this recipe for cooking the meat and making the sauce because it has a high content of monosaturated fats.
Garlic:
Garlic powder:
Tomato paste:
This can be made at home as well or store-bought can be used to make the base of the sauce. This sauce is what makes the lasagna flavorful and delicious.
Onions:
Chopped onions to be used in the preparation of the sauce. Onions can be one of the keto-friendly vegetables if used in moderation. Alone, onions are considered high in carbs.
But when we use onions, they’re usually a flavor enhancer. In this lasagna recipe, putting in 1/3 cup of diced onions will only result in the addition of around 3 grams of carbs. The typical keto diet allows no more than 20 grams per day
Italian seasoning:
What is an Italian dish without the burst of flavors Italian seasoning provides it? Italian seasoning is used in the sauce and the meat in our recipe.
Salt:
Salt to balance all the seasonings in the recipe and bind them together.
Pepper:
Use black pepper to add flavor and spice to the recipe.
Paprika:
We’re using paprika powder in this recipe to give it a nice hint of spice. Because paprika is a form of pepper, it includes capsaicin, which is good for your health. Capsaicin has been found in trials to help people lose weight, decrease inflammation, and provide other health advantages.
Because It’s minimal in net carbohydrates, paprika is ideal for a ketogenic diet. Because paprika is low in fat, it pairs nicely with the healthful fats included in this recipe.
Paprika is unprocessed and devoid of potentially dangerous substances such as non-keto sugars, excessively refined oils, and food additives.
Preparing the meat:
To prepare the meat component of the lasagna, you’ll need a pan over medium flame and heat some olive oil in it. Once the olive oil is hot enough you will then add the ground chicken in it along with salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and some garlic powder. All these seasonings will build up the flavor in the ground chicken.
This will cook for a few minutes until It’s cooked through and tender. The excess liquid or fat can be removed once It’s cooked so there is not any extra moisture while layering and assembling the lasagna.
Preparing the sauce:
The next layer preparation will be of the sauce in this recipe. In a saucepan heated on low heat, add some olive oil and then minced cloves of garlic to be cooked until given a brown color while stirring it constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Chopped onions will be added next and cooked until the color is translucent. All the seasonings, water, and tomato paste will be added afterward and cooked over low heat for a few minutes. Check and balance the seasonings and your sauce is done!
Assembling and baking:
For layering the lasagna, assemble the zucchini slices, the sauce, the cooked meat, and mozzarella cheese.
An 8×8 inch baking pan will be used for the lasagna and the bottom of It’s spread out evenly with the sauce first. The next layer is of the zucchini slices then a heaping amount of cheese.
After that, a layer of meat is spread out and these layers are repeated at least 3 times or until your ingredients run out.
Once layered evenly, the baking pan is placed in a preheated oven at 350 F/ 175 C for about 35 minutes till you see a golden brown bubbling crust of cheese.
Storing the leftover lasagna:
Store any leftover zucchini lasagna in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can also prep ahead by grilling the zucchini slices, making the meat and sauce ahead of time.
Or, assemble the zucchini lasagna and store it in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze it before baking.
It can go straight into the oven from the fridge or even the freezer, but you’ll want to bake it at 300 degrees instead of 350 so that the entire dish has the chance to heat through before the cheese on top browns.
Share Your Results!
I hope you enjoy my keto zucchini lasagna recipe as much as I did. If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out!
Absolutely love to see your creations! If you happen to make one of the recipes, would really love to see it! Just use the hashtag #sweetketolife, tag me on @sweetketolife , or just let me know by comment!
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Zucchini Lasagna Recipe Keto
Ingredients
- 3 medium size zucchinis
- 2 cups mozzarella, distributed
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ⅔ water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Meat:
- 2 lb ground meat (I used ground chicken)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- In a pan over low-medium heat, add olive oil, ground meat and seasoning (garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, salt, and paprika). Let it cook through and remove any excess liquid/ fat.
- For the sauce, add olive oil to a saucepan over low heat. Add minced garlic and let it cook until brown while stirring constantly. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent. Then add tomato paste, water, and seasoning.
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- For assembly, cut zucchinis in thin slices lengthwise (about 1/8 inch). Add 3 tablespoons of sauce to the bottom of your baking pan (I used an 8x8 inch pan) and spread it out to cover the surface. Add a layer of overlapping zucchini slices, cheese, meat, and repeat until ingredients run out.
- Bake for 45 minutes and broil for 5. Enjoy!
