We have made a classic comforting Italian dish a little bit lighter by using courgette (zucchini) instead of lasagna sheets. Still all the delicious lasagna flavour from the sauce and cheese, but lower in carbs. This Low Carb Lasagna is a lighter dish, packed with veggies, that the whole family can enjoy. It's under 350 calories a portion too.
This low carb lasagna has the classic delicious rich meat sauce that you know and love from a lasagna, but layered in between slices of courgette (zucchini) instead of pasta sheets. The slices of courgette are still thick enough to hold the lasagna together, but not only make it lower in carb, but add some extra veggies too.
If you are looking for some other lasagna recipes to try, then why not try our Seafood Lasagna, Easy Skillet Lasagna or Roasted Vegetable Lasagna?
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Ingredients needed
- Pasta sauce - We used our Homemade pasta sauce.
- Courgette (zucchini) - Choose ones that are no longer than 8 inches and are free of nicks. A really fresh courgette will have very tiny hairs on the skin
- Turkey mince - You can use a lean beef mince instead, however turkey mince is much leaner and keeps this lower in calories and fat.
- Mushrooms - Use a selection of different mushrooms, as this will add a mixture of textures.
- Onion - You can use shallots instead if you prefer, which will have a sweeter flavour.
- Garlic - Freshly crushed is best, however you could use frozen or in a jar if that is all you have. When crushing, make sure it is crushed almost in to a paste. This will ensure even distribution in the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce - This adds a real depth of flavour and is a must in lasagna and spaghetti bolognese in my opinion.
- Spinach - An easy way to give a green veggie boost to meals.
- Greek yogurt - Instead of making a traditional cheese sauce, we mixture Greek yoghurt with the spinach to make it nice and creamy.
- Cheese - We used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar cheese to give it a melty cheesy topping.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make low carb lasagna - Step by step
One: Put all of the courgette strips on a baking sheet and in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and cook for 4 minutes each side and then set aside.
Two: Chop the onion and mushrooms and crush the garlic
Three: In a large pan, heat a little oil and then add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and gently cook for 3-4 minutes.
Four: Add the turkey mince and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Five: Add the pasta sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Six: Mix together the spinach and Greek yogurt.
Seven: Using a lasagna dish that is as long as (or longer than) the courgette strips are, add the meat sauce to the bottom of the dish.
Eight: Add a layer of courgette.
Nine: Add a layer of the meat sauce and a layer of the spinach mix.
Ten: Add another layer of courgette, some more meat sauce and some more spinach mixture and finish by topping with the remaining courgette. Sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar on top and put in the oven at 220°C/420°F/Gas 7.
Eleven: Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese has browned.
Why should you try it?
- Low carb comfort food - All that classic flavour of lasagna, but low in carbs.
- Under 350 calories - Really filling, but low in calories.
- Lots of added vegetables - There are lots of opportunity to add extra vegetables to this low carb lasagna to make it extra nutritious.
- Family friendly - This is always a family favourite.
- Freezes well - Make extra because it freezes really well.
Health benefits
Courgettes are very low in calories and they have a high water content. They are also super nutritious as they are a great source of vitamins A and C, potassium and fibre.
Make sure to include the skin of the courgette in the lasagna, as that is where most of the fibre comes from.
Even carb lovers will love this lasagna, as it still has all the flavours you know and love - with some lighter swaps. This is a great way to get people to eat more vegetables, as it is pretty much hidden. My family didn't even know it was low carb the first time he ate it.
I have also added a creamy spinach layer to this dish, in replace of a white sauce. So there is no flour or butter in it either and the cheese on top is just enough. We didn't skimp on the cheese either, as that would make for a bit of a sad lasagna. You could use less if you wanted to though.
Variations
You could use aubergine instead of courgette/zucchini, or use a mix of both. They have a really meaty texture too, so it's a good thing to include in a vegetable lasagna. They key to making sure the lasagna doesn't get soggy with using vegetables rather than pasta is to pre-cook the vegetable strips first.
To save yourself some time, you could make the "lasagna sheets" ahead of time and then just layer the lasagna when you are ready to put it in the oven.
What to serve with Low Carb Lasagna
This is a pretty filling meal by itself and it has all the vegetables already in it. However, if we are trying to make it go a little further, then we love serving up some garlic bread with it. Either buy some ready made, or make your own easy garlic bread by cutting up some French stick and spreading it with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and dried herbs. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Why not try our Cheesy Garlic Bread recipe?
As well as garlic bread, you can bulk the meal out with a big green salad. The key to an epic green salad is to use a variety of greens, like romaine, spinach, kale and rocket. You want leafy greens, but crunch too. Then you need the perfect dressing. Why not try our Lemon Vinaigrette, Honey and Mustard Dressing or Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette. You could also try our Grilled Little Gem Salad.
If you want to add a big side of vegetables, then we recommend our Garlic Spring Greens, Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli, Garlic Green Beans, Air Fryer Carrots, or Roasted Lemon Asparagus.
Storage
Store: Leftovers can be put in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: This lasagna freezes really well and is a great batch cook meal. It will go a little watery when defrosted and reheated, but you could just soak that up with some paper towel, or dip some garlic bread in to it so nothing goes to waste.
Defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: You can either reheat it in the oven or the microwave. Make sure it is piping hot before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Those of you in North America would refer to it as lasagna, but most of us outside of North America would say lasagne. However, in Italian, lasagna is the singular noun and lasagne is the plural, so I am going to go with that. Just in case anyone was confused about the spelling. Either way, this Low Carb Lasagna will please everyone.
Yes, the great thing about using courgette instead of lasagna sheets is that this is gluten free. Just make sure that there is no cross contamination.
You can easily double this recipe and it doesn't change the cooking time. Just make sure that you have a big enough baking dish to hold double the ingredients.
Yes, you can layer this up in advance and then keep it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. It might need a little longer in the oven if you are cooking it straight from the fridge.
Yes, you can, however it will get a bit watery because there is nowhere for the water from the courgettes to go.
More courgette recipes
If you’ve tried this low carb lasagna, or any other recipe on the blog, then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Low Carb Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 medium courgettes (zucchini) - thinly sliced lengthways
- 0.5 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ batch tomato pasta sauce
- 400 g turkey mince
- 8 mushrooms - sliced
- 1 large onion - diced
- 2 garlic cloves - crushed
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 120 g spinach
- 4 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
- 60 g mozzarella
- 60 g cheddar
Instructions
- Put all the courgette strips onto a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 220°C/420°F for 4 minutes each side and then set aside.3 medium courgettes (zucchini)
- In a large pan, heat a little oil and then add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and gently cook for 3-4 minutes.0.5 tablespoon olive oil, 8 mushrooms, 1 large onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the turkey mince and cook for a further 5 minutes.400 g turkey mince
- Add the pasta sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.½ batch tomato pasta sauce, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Mix together the spinach and Greek yogurt.120 g spinach, 4 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
- Using a lasagna dish that is as long as (or longer than) the courgette strips are, add the meat sauce to the bottom of the dish.
- Add a layer of courgette.
- Add a layer of the meat sauce and a layer of the spinach mix.
- Add another layer of courgette, some more meat sauce and some more spinach mixture and finish by topping with the remaining courgette.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar on top and put in the oven at 220°C/420°F/Gas 7.60 g mozzarella, 60 g cheddar
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese has browned.
Notes
- To stop the lasagna getting soggy, you will want to cook the courgette a little first, before layering up the lasagna.
- Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving too, this allows some of the extra liquid to soak up.
- To save some time, pre-cook the vegetable lasagna sheets ahead of time and then assemble the lasagna when you are ready to put it in the oven.
- We used courgette for the layers, but you could use aubergine or a mixture.
- If you want the top of this pasta bake to go really crispy, then you can put it under the grill (broiler) for a couple of minutes.
- Grate your own cheese rather than using the store bought pre-grated cheese. This is because it is coated in starches to prevent it from sticking in the bag. Not only does this add to the carbs, but it means that it doesn't melt as well.
Heather
Made it using lamb mince and crème fraiche instead of Greek yogurt. Was lovely. Well worth making
Jambz
I made this wonderful low carb lasagna and it tastes amazing. Can't even tell the difference. I was doubtful to make with courgette coz I'm not a big fan. But this is the best. Thank you so much. The best law carb recipe ever.
Dannii
So glad that you enjoyed it. We think it's a great way to use courgettes too.
Elizabeth
What a gorgeous recipe! We have such a glut of courgettes these days, so this was a great way to use a few of them up. Will be making again!
Heidy L. McCallum
Hey there, Danni, just dropping by to check out this wonderful recipe. I make a low carb version too but yours looks amazing and I am totally going to try this the coming week. Saving!
Sara Welch
Such a hearty dinner and packed with flavor! Easily, a new family favorite recipe!
Tara
Yum! This looks like such a great way to use up zucchini. The flavors sound incredible and I love that it freezes well.
Andrea Metlika
What a fabulous low carb option. It looks delicious.