Lasagna

Preparation: 105 min

Begin by cutting the tops and bottoms off the zucchini. Taking a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchinis into wide, thick strips. Arrange on a tray or in a shallow dish and sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt -about ½ teaspoon. Toss the zucchini in the salt and set aside for 20 minutes to help draw out any excess water. After this time, blot the zucchini dry with kitchen paper, taking off any excess moisture and salt.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned all over. Remove the beef from the pan with a slotted spoon, retaining any fat in the pan. Add to a bowl and set to one aside.

Finely dice the onion and celery and add to the skillet used to cook the beef. Pan fry gently over a low/medium heat until tender – about 3-4 minutes. Crush the garlic and add to the pan, sweating for a minute or two until soft and fragrant.

Return the beef to the skillet. Season with a little salt and pepper and add the dried oregano. Stir everything together well to combine.

Roughly chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the skillet along with the tomato puree and balsamic vinegar. Stir again to combine.

Add the bay leaves and stock to the pan. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to reduce the sauce right down.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C degrees. Whilst the beef is simmering, you can prepare the sauce. Add the cream cheese, the half cup of parmesan and the almond milk to a large saucepan over a low/medium heat. Stir together until melted and fully combined, but do not boil.

Add a pinch of black pepper and the nutmeg. Stir well until you have a thick, smooth, creamy sauce. Set the sauce to one side ready to layer the lasagna.

To assemble the lasagne, remove the bay leaves from the cooked meat. Divide the beef mixture into thirds. Spoon one third across the bottom of an oven proof dish (roughly 8x5 inches) in an even layer.

Take one third of the zucchini strips and arrange in a layer over the meat. You will need to overlap the zucchini to create a solid layer. This is to create your Keto pasta sheet.

Spoon one third of the cheese sauce mixture over the layer of the zucchini strips. Ensure that the layer of sauce is evenly spread. You can use a spatula to smooth this over.

Repeat this process two more times using the remaining 2/3rds of each mixture. You should have enough to create two more layers of meat, zucchini and sauce. Make sure each layer is even.

Sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of grated parmesan over the top layer of lasagna. Scatter it evenly so that the lasagna is lightly dusted all over.

Transfer the lasagne to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes until piping hot through and golden brown on top. Slice and serve hot.

lowcarb dinner