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 Chicken Lasagna, Seafood Lasagna, Easy Skillet Lasagna or Roasted Vegetable Lasagna?
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Why you will love 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.
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 into 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, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
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.
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. Read more about the health benefits of courgettes.
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 into 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.
Extra tips
- 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.
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, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Low Carb Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 Courgette (zucchini) - thinly sliced lengthways
- 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil
- 0.5 batch tomato pasta sauce
- 400 g (14 oz) turkey mince
- 8 Mushrooms - sliced
- 1 Onion - diced
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 120 g (4 cups) Spinach
- 4 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
- 60 g (2 oz) mozzarella
- 60 g (2 oz) Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C(fan)/420°F/Gas 7.
- Put strips of 3 Courgette (zucchini) onto a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 4 minutes each side and then set aside.
- In a large pan, heat 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil and then add 1 Onion, 8 Mushrooms and 2 Garlic clove and gently cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add 400 g turkey mince and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add 0.5 batch tomato pasta sauce and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix together 120 g Spinach and 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 60 g mozzarella and 60 g Cheddar cheese on top and put in the oven.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese has browned.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
heart game says
I am going to surprise him with this, as I haven’t made it in a long time because we are both trying to lose weight. Thank you for the site.
Julie says
I made this the other day and it was absolutely delicious. Love the Greek yogurt instead of a white sauce. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Dannii says
You are welcome Julie. I am glad you enjoyed it :)
Faye says
This looks really, really good. Thanks for the pasta sauce recipe too.
Tina says
I have done this with leeks before, but not courgette. I am going to try it on my day off next week x
Donna says
I have never heard them called courgette before. How strange. I appreciate you use both words, to suit all your fans :)
Gemma says
I have been waiting for a new recipe. I have made every single recipe you have posted and I haven't been disappointed yet. Thanks for this one too.
Irene says
Lasagne is my husband's favourite meal. I am going to surprise him with this, as I haven't made it in a long time because we are both trying to lose weight. Thank you for the recipe.
Vicky says
This is great. I am doing low-carb for a few week, but I have really don't know what to make. I still want to eat things like pasta, but I can't.
Judith says
Oh Danni. I really wish you would bring out a book. I love your recipes and I do love your blog, but you can't beat a proper cookbook.
Karen says
I just got back from Tesco with all the ingredients for it. Can't wait to make it tonight.
Ellie says
I am not a fan of courgette. Is there anything else you can suggest instead? As I really want to try this.
Mindy Hartwell says
I use uncooked cabbage leaves in mine, for low carb spaghetti cut is ribbons and steam lightly
Emma says
Leeks, carefully slice down one side and open them into sheets. Enjoy ❤️
Amanda says
I love your pasta sauce. I am happy to have something else to use it in now too.
Lucy says
This has gone straight on next week's meal plan. Thanks Dannii, you are awesome!
Jen says
I am so happy right now. Lasagne is my absolute favourite meal, but I haven't had it in weeks as I can't stop myself from eating the whole pan. Even if I did eat the whole pan of this, it wouldn't be *that* bad for me. Would it?
Daisy says
I have been looking for a recipe just like this. Thank you.