Low-Carb Zucchini Lasagna

Gluten-Free

This zucchini lasagna differs from the classic lasagna, first of all, by its low-carb content. It cannot be otherwise, because the “dough” for this dish is made not from flour, but from zucchini, which is 83% water. At the same time, this lasagna is quite a nutritious dish, since it contains a sufficient amount of protein (thanks to meat and cheese). 

Therefore, it is not surprising that people began to use zucchini in cooking a very long time ago, 5 centuries ago. The people of Mexico were the first to try to cook dishes from this vegetable. True, they ate only zucchini seeds for food. Later, when, thanks to the discovery of Christopher Columbus, these seeds came to the Old World, the Europeans decided that beautifully flowering zucchini were ornamental plants, and began to plant them in their gardens. It took another two centuries before Italian culinary experts guessed to add unripe zucchini to one of the second courses. 

The resulting effect exceeded all expectations: during cooking, the neutral, in general, the taste of this vegetable was enriched with the taste and smell of other, “neighboring” ingredients, giving the finished dish a kind of delicate texture. After that, zucchini began to fry, stew, preserve, marinate and bake. After that, the chefs began to fry, stew, preserve, marinate and bake zucchini.

Ingredients:
  • 2 small zucchini
  • 1 lbs ground beef
  • 1 cup mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 egg
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • greens for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
  1. Wrap the mozzarella in cling film and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Remove, unfold and grate on a medium grater.
  2. Wash the zucchini thoroughly and with a sharp knife cut lengthwise into thin plates.
  3. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry the ground meat, stirring, for 5-7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, stir and remove from heat.
  4. Crack an egg into a small bowl. Add parmesan, salt and pepper, stir.
  5. Preheat oven to 380°F. Finely chop the parsley. Grease the bottom of the baking dish with the remaining tomato sauce. 
  6. Put a layer of zucchini and half of the minced meat on it in a thin layer. Spread some of the Parmesan mixture on top and sprinkle with half of the grated mozzarella and parsley. 
  7. Then lay another layer of zucchini, the remaining minced meat and on it – a mixture with parmesan and mozzarella. Put the dish in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
  8. Garnish the lasagna with fresh herbs, pepper and serve immediately.