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 300 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.
I am definitely not anti-carb, in fact I am totally pro carb. But I am also pro moderation and pro garlic bread. That means that I love eating lasagna and garlic bread together.
The combination of pasta and bread is a little bit too much for me, so I make a low carb lasagna so I can happily indulge in some garlic bread with it. Even better is that this recipe is under 300 calories for a huge portion of lasagna.
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Why should you try it?
- Low carb comfort food
- Under 300 calories
- Lots of added vegetables
- Family friendly
- Freezes well
What you will need
- Half a batch of our homemade pasta sauce
- 3 medium courgettes (zucchinis), thinly sliced lengthways
- 400g lean turkey mince
- 8 mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 handfuls of spinach
- 4 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
- 60g mozzarella
- 60g mature cheddar, grated
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 all of the pasta 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.
Lasagna or lasagne?
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.
Is this healthy?
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.
Courgette/zucchini alternative
You could use aubergine instead of courgette/zucchni, 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.
Does it freeze well?
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.
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.
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DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓
Recipe
Low Carb Lasagna
Ingredients
- ½ batch tomato pasta sauce
- 3 medium courgettes (zucchini), thinly sliced lengthways
- 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.
- In a large pan, heat a little oil and then add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add all the pasta sauce except 2 tablespoon and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Mix together the raw spinach and Greek yogurt.
- Use a lasagna dish that is as long as your strips of courgette are. Add 2 tablespoon of the tomato sauce to the bottom and spread it around until the bottom is covered. Add a layer of courgette.
- Then add a layer of meat sauce and top with a layer of creamy spinach.
- Top with another layer of courgette, then the rest of the meat sauce, then the rest of the creamy spinach and finish it by topping it with the remaining courgette.
- Finally, add the mozzarella and put in the oven at 220°C/420°F/Gas 7 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.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
This is genius! My husband doesn't like it when I make pasta because he eats too much of it. This is a great, healthy switch!
Angela
Absolutely amazing! This recipe was so full of flavor and so satisfying!! Thanks for sharing :)
Kelly Anthony
I love the layer of spinach in this low carb lasagna. This will be a great way to get my family to eat more veggies which they always need more of.
Cathy
I love the idea of a low carb lasagna! Been looking for a lower carb version but all that I have found seem so bland and lacking in flavor but yours has truly inviting additions. I especially love the yogurt sauce, genius! Thank you for this recipe! Finally I have found one!
Jayne
Hi Dannii, you don't mention the cheddar in the list of ingredients or in the method - how much did you use and is it included in the calorie count? Looks delicious - I agree about the pasta/garlic bread combination - too much stodge, so this is a great idea. Thanks, Jayne
Dannii
Oops - thanks for letting me know. I have added it in and recalculated the nutritional info.
heart game
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
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
You are welcome Julie. I am glad you enjoyed it :)
Faye
This looks really, really good. Thanks for the pasta sauce recipe too.
Tina
I have done this with leeks before, but not courgette. I am going to try it on my day off next week x
Donna
I have never heard them called courgette before. How strange. I appreciate you use both words, to suit all your fans :)
Gemma
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
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
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
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
I just got back from Tesco with all the ingredients for it. Can't wait to make it tonight.
Ellie
I am not a fan of courgette. Is there anything else you can suggest instead? As I really want to try this.
Mindy Hartwell
I use uncooked cabbage leaves in mine, for low carb spaghetti cut is ribbons and steam lightly
Emma
Leeks, carefully slice down one side and open them into sheets. Enjoy ❤️
Amanda
I love your pasta sauce. I am happy to have something else to use it in now too.
Lucy
This has gone straight on next week's meal plan. Thanks Dannii, you are awesome!
Jen
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
I have been looking for a recipe just like this. Thank you.