Roxilla

Photo (C) 2008 Skinny Chef

I was watching a cooking show the other day, where the hosts were talking about low carb diets. They made the most divine-looking low carb lasagna which I really want to try, but they didn’t give the full recipe. So, I did a bit of Googling to find out more…

Basically, there are two options for a low carb lasagna, one using eggplant or zucchini, and the other using an egg and cheese based crepe. The zucchini base would be the least calorie-laden, but the crepe one is the closest to traditional lasagna (and good for meat-eaters or those who don’t like the ‘diet’ food concept).

I found the best and easiest version over at Skinny Chef, which is also suitable for vegetarians (which makes it a clear winner in my book!)

Delicious Low Carb Lasagna Recipe From Skinny Chef

Ingredients

15-oz container of skim or low-fat ricotta
1 cup fresh corn kernels or frozen corn, thawed and rinsed
1 large egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 Tbs fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
1 – 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 pound of zucchini, cut lengthwise into thin slices
1/2 pound large white or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
salt and freshly black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, corn, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, and nutmeg. Stir and season with salt and pepper. In a blender or with an immersion stick blender in a bowl, puree the tomatoes, garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place 1/2 cup of the sauce at the bottom of the baking pan, spreading it evenly to coat.

Layer the zucchini slices on top of the sauce, overlapping the edges. Sprinkle with salt. Add half the ricotta mixture and top with the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and add spread the rest of the ricotta on top. Place another layer of zucchini and top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and additional parmesan if using or serve the remaining parmesan table side. Baked uncovered, 40 – 45 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lasagna is brown around the edges. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

[VIA]

To make the crepe version, you simply substitute the zucchini strips with egg crepes (recipe below).

Egg Crepes

Beat six 6 eggs with 6 tablespoons water. Heat a 10” non-stick fry pan. With a small ladle pour 1/6 of your egg mixture into your fry pan. Twirl it around to coat the whole bottom. When it starts to set, watch for the egg to start pulling away from the pan. When that happens carefully pick up your egg with your fingers and flip it to the other side. This takes about 1-2 minutes on each side. Place in fridge to cool. Makes 6 large crepes.

I try very hard to keep my diet as low carb as possible, and while it’s not always easy, finding good alternatives makes it much simpler for me to follow. Pasta and bread especially I try and avoid at all costs, and I always loved lasagna so finding a good recipe like this that I can adapt is awesome.

Wine Partner

This lasagna goes down best with a rose or pinot noir… I would suggest a pinot noir chardonnay though – Haute Cabriere Chardonnay is my favourite blend.

Some other things to note about low carb dishes – there are often hidden sugars and carbs in low fat products, and in some cases it is better to use the full fat version. Fat does not cause weight gain, but carbs do – fats are not great on the heart front though, and should be used sparingly. Still, always read the label properly when you buy low fat or sugar free… and watch those hidden sugars!

P.S. Before you panic about this recipe not having meat, you can add mince or chicken to it with no problem. Chicken will work better with the zucchini base, mince with the crepe base.