Keto Zucchini and Mushroom Lasagna Casserole

One thing that I absolutely love about eating low carb and high fat (keto), is that you can still enjoy the same types of foods that are normally considered "bad" for you... They just have to be tweaked a little bit! You love pizza?? There's a keto recipe for that. You want biscuits??? There's a keto recipe for that! You want LASAGNA?! I've got a recipe RIGHT HERE for that!

This recipe is easy, cheesy, and super delicious!!! Just a few simple ingredients, and only two pans can be used in making this dish! Which is super important to me, because I usually meal prep for the entire week, and the less dishes used, the better! There's nothing worse than spending 2-3 hours on prepping all the food, and then spending another hour cleaning the kitchen! Not my fave!!

I did see another recipe similar to this one that did not contain any vegetables. I mean... if that's the way you like it, go for it!! But I, personally, really enjoy vegetables! Normally for something like this I would also add some onion and garlic, but for some reason they slipped my mind this time. The zucchini and mushroom add a great earthy element to the lasagna that I absolutely love! I don't know who wouldn't want that?!

Then there is the hearty sauce that is made with Italian sausage. I used a bottled sauce from the grocery store on this recipe, but if you want to take the time to make your own tomato sauce, all the power to you! I've done it before, and it is delicious!!! But it is not super practical for someone who meal preps and makes 3 different meals in one sitting. It takes far too much time! Sauce from the store is good, too. But I do suggest that you check the labels! Make sure you're buying sauce with no added sugar, and doesn't have a bunch of weird additives. It always makes me feel better when I actually know and understand what all of the ingredients are! Nothing I can't pronounce or don't know what it is or why it's in there.

This recipe has everything you would expect to get in a lasagna. The creamy, cheesy richness you get from the ricotta and mozzarella in between the zesty sauce and the crisp vegetables... well, dare I say you will have an amazing dish that your family will love to eat for dinner! And, as I stated, this can easily be used for meal prep! That is what I used it for! My husband and I loved it! I hope you will, too!

Keto Zucchini and Mushroom Lasagna Casserole

Ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, separated

4 medium zucchini sliced and quartered

8 oz white mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice) chopped

16 oz Italian sausage

24 oz spaghetti sauce (no sugar added)

8 oz can of tomato sauce

15 oz ricotta cheese

2 heaping tbsp Parmesan cheese

3 cups mozzarella cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Fresh parsley & basil to taste and for garnish (optional)

To prepare: Preheat oven to 400 F

1. In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

2. Add zucchini and mushrooms to the pan, season with salt and pepper (about a teaspoon of each), and cook until mushrooms are soft and zucchini begin to soften. If you prefer the zucchini to be softer, throw them in the skillet first and cook until they begin to soften before adding the mushrooms. Once cooked, scoop into a bowl, leaving excess fluid in the pan, and set aside.

3. Drain excess fluid from the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the Italian sausage. Crumble and cook until browned.

4. Add spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce to the sausage. Season with salt & pepper, fresh parsley, and fresh basil as needed. Simmer for a few minutes to develop the flavors.

5. While the sauce is simmering, mix the parmesan cheese in with the ricotta cheese.

6. Grease a 9x11" oven safe dish. Start assembling the lasagna!

7. Put a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Just enough to cover the bottom. 

8. Put half of the ricotta and parmesan mixture on top of the sauce and spread evenly. It WILL mix together with the sauce, don't worry too much about that.

9. Add half of the zucchini and mushrooms on top of the sauce and ricotta mix.

10. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella on top of the veggies, and then start the layering over again using the rest of the ingredients: sauce, ricotta mixture, veggies, and mozzarella.

11. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until hot, bubbling, and browned. If the cheese is not browned enough to your liking, turn the oven to broil for a few minutes. But ALWAYS make sure you keep an eye on your food when broiling! It can burn really quickly!

12. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and basil if desired, serve hot & enjoy! Or, if you are using it for meal prep, separate into 4 meal prep containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days!

Please leave a comment and let me know how this recipe worked for you!

Thanks for reading!

Love,