Keto Low Carb Lasagna Roll-Ups
This weeks recipe is Keto Low Carb Lasagna Roll-Ups! This was an interesting recipe from a preparation stand point with multiple steps, much like making a traditional lasagna but of course without all the carbs. This was one of those dishes that actually got better the longer it sat, much like a casserole. The flavor the next day was much more refined as the ingredients had time to meld together overnight. This recipe is not hard to make, but it does require some patience but the finished product is worth it! We hope you enjoy it!
Classic lasagna, as much as we adore it, can be extremely time consuming. Of course living the ketogenic lifestyle doesn’t include pasta. These roll ups come together in a shorter amount of time and couldn’t be more delicious. This recipe makes it simple to enjoy authentic Italian flavor. And it is made so much easier then hand making pasta would be.
These roll ups are filled with the same ooey-gooey flavor as a traditional baked dish, but they are lighter and more fresh using zucchini in place of the noodles
A trio of cheeses ensures there will be more than enough melted comfort in every bite of this casserole, so you can always add more or less on top if you’d like.
If you consider yourself a lasagna lover, then these lasagna roll ups are going to become a dinner time favorite. It’s sure to leave your family feeling full and happy. So go on and take a break from traditional layer lasagna, and give these fun lasagna roll ups a try. While this recipe is technically ketogenic, you could serve it to anyone, and it would be a truly memorable dish.
And now a few thoughts on the ingredients and preparation:
Zucchini. In the middle of summer you’re sure to receive a giant pile of it on your porch from your neighbors LOL…zucchini is one of those things that multiplies in your garden. This is a terrific way to utilize all that fresh produce. Zucchini can be a bit like cannelloni when you use it in thin slices like I have here instead of pasta. I have seen similar roll ups to these with small egg plants. You want to look for large zucchinis if you can find them. Don’t stress too much about making perfect rolls, They tend to fall in line when you place them into the baking dish. If you wish to skip the rolling step you can simply layer them much like you would lasagna noodles. Sweating them ahead of time by salting them and allowing them to sit helps to soften the zucchini and it assists them in shedding the natural wateriness that this vegetable possesses.
You can use any type of ground meat for this dish. I used a combination of beef and turkey, but Italian sausage would be equally delicious here. You could also use lamb or some other type of game meat.
You could make this dish ahead of time, and it would be perfect for feeding a crowd or for packing leftovers for work the next day. As with all true casseroles the flavor improves overnight and the next day. Do not worry about excess water if your zucchini sheds a bit more, it won’t affect taste.
Ricotta, is an Italian way cheese made from sheep, goat, cow, or even Italian water buffalo. It has a very mild and creamy flavor. It works well in this dish because it takes on the delicious herbs you put into it and imparts a velvety finish to your lasagna. Be sure to look for whole milk ricotta or full fat… It can affect the carb count if you use low-fat. It’s generally located by the other cheeses or sometimes by cottage cheese.
This dish was originally inspired by Kyndra Holley from “Craveable Keto,” but there are many similar recipes out there utilizing both pasta and zucchini in the same fashion.
FOLLOW-UP TASTE TEST by C.J.
This dish was really delicious, and was better the next day. Lately we’ve been shooting or recipe videos on Thursday nights each week, not really sure why but it’s been working. Sarah made the recipe after she got up from sleeping all day (Sarah works the Graveyard Shift). I have worked all day (now from home because of COVID), and we generally are ready to start shooting the recipe at around 5:15 or so. Sarah make/assembles the dish, I shoot the process, she bakes and then we do the taste test and then finally eat our dinner. This is one of those dishes where you really do need to let it rest, and of course cool. The dish was very flavorful, I thought is was a bit salty, but I noticed after we’d done the taste test, that the saltiness seem to go ahead. I noticed that even more the next day when we reheated the recipe for dinner. In my opinion it was actually better the next day. Sarah used a combo of ground beef and ground turkey, but I could see someone using say ground beef and ground sausage and that would be delicious as well.
Let’s talk about tomato sauces/marinara sauces. Using tomato based sauces will always add a few additional carbs, it’s just the nature of the tomatoes. We always look for the lowest carb marinara or tomato sauce we can find, we often substitute and use pizza sauce to keep the carbs a bit lower. We’ve found that Walmart’s Great Value brand pizza sauce has some good carb numbers but we also realize that everyone doesn’t have access to a Walmart or will shop there.
Some of you are very skilled cooks, if you make another version let us see it over on Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe! Don’t forget you can share photos or your creations over in the Facebook Group or on Pinterest.
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https://www.cjsketokitchen.com/basic-tips-to-understand-the-keto-diet-the-keto-diet-simplified/
Lasagna Roll-Ups
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking dish
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground meat of choice
- 3 zucchini (large) sliced lengthwise to make 20 planks 10 inches long
- 2 cups marinara sauce Pizza sauce will work also *Use the lowest carb version you can find
- 1 cup ricotta cheese Full Fat
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese Shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese Grated
- Seasonings to taste
- 1 tsp. pesto sauce optional
Instructions
Instructions (Prep Work)
- Lay the zucchini slices in a single layer on baking trays or plates. Sprinkle generously with salt. Allow zucchini to “sweat” and release it’s watery moisture for 30 minutes. Use additional dry paper towels to dry liquid. Set aside.
- Cook your ground meat. Process to make finer if desired. Stir in a cup to 1 1/2 cups of marinara into meat mixture.
Instructions (Assembling the Dish)
- Spread some additional sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- In a separate bowl combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste. Add optional pesto sauce if desired.
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Spread a thin layer of cheese mixture on each zucchini slice. Top with meat mixture. Roll up each zucchini noodle and place spiral side up into the baking dish. Push each new roll up against the others to help keep them rolled up.
- Top the rolls with half the mozzarella cheese, cover with remaining meat and sauce… Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese over roll ups. Bake for 30 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the cheese on top is golden brown and bubbly. Let rest before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
CJSKETOKITCHEN RECIPE SPOTLIGHT
In this section we try and highlight other recipes that might interest you. This week we decided to highlight another very popular and easy to make recipe:
No Noodle Keto Lasagna
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