I promise you, this is one lasagna that is fully low-carb and will surprise you. When I first made it, I didn’t tell my husband I didn’t use real lasagna noodles and he didn’t realize it. 

You could choose to use a different meat for your lasagna or no meat at all like this spinach lasagna. I chose Italian sausage because it will make your life easier and for the flavor it brings to the dish. Growing up, we had lasagna that was stuffed with Italian meatballs and Italian sausage. You can do that too. 

We have a passion for Italian sausage from Butcher Box (affiliate). It comes loose, is seasoned just right, and is our all time favorite. Butcher Box is a meat delivery subscription. They work with small, local farmers that raise meat humanely. You can tell the difference. 

Some Tips for Keto Lasagna

This lasagna is not going to be the same as my regular lasagna  but if you’re on the keto diet, I think you’ll love it, as it delivers flavor and Italian comfort without the carbs. Here are some tips to help you have a successful keto lasagna. 

• Roll the noodles in two small baking sheets instead of one, as they bake better. 
• Don’t use big chunks of meat, or unseasoned meat. A good option is loose Italian sausage, already flavored and broken up into small pieces. If you use sausage links, slice thinly, or slice yummy meatballs, flavored with parmesan and a little garlic.
• Avoid heavy garlic in your sauce. Too much garlic in any dish overpowers it and the dish loses balance. There’s no place in lasagna for a lot of garlic. If you taste garlic, it’s too much. I  throw two cloves in oil, prior to my tomatoes, for my sauce. Then they are removed, so no one gets garlic clove in their bite of food.
• Stick with ricotta cheese if you’re using cheese. I’ve seen recipes with goat cheese or cottage cheese and it’s a hard pass. The cheeses should be mozzarella, ricotta and either pecorino or parmesan for the best result. However, if that’s your thing, do your thing.
• Use a nice pureed tomato sauce. Avoid sauces that have too much tomato pulp. If you buy store bought sauce, read your ingredients and only buy a sauce without sugar. 
• Season your ricotta cheese. To keep the ricotta from turning into a melting mess, add mozzarella cheese and egg. My favorite ricotta is Polly O, because it’s firm. Do NOT whip your ricotta for lasagna. The last thing you want is liquified ricotta cheese. You want it to have as much heft as possible, which will cut into wonderful pieces.
• Avoid vegetables, but if you do use them, make sure they are diced very fine. I love bell peppers and zucchini, however, I don’t love them in lasagna because they change the texture and zucchini adds too much liquid and doesn’t end up doing anything to add to the dish. 
• Rest your lasagna for twenty to thirty minutes after baking. If you cut lasagna right from the oven, the cheese will pour out and you won’t have nice square, intact pieces.
• Include pecorino romano in your recipe for the ricotta cheese and for serving. It’s tangy and adds a lot of flavor.
   

How is this lasagna keto friendly?

The challenge in making a keto lasagna is eliminating the carbs that come from the noodles. This recipe includes a nearly carb-free noodle made from eggs, cream cheese, mozzarella and roasted radishes. The mixture is then baked and becomes firm enough to cut into strips to layer the lasagna. 

How to Make Keto Lasagna Noodles

Roasted radishes, cream cheese, mozzarella and eggs make up the mixture for the noodles. This was tricky the first time because I had the oven too hot, and I spread the mixture on one large baking sheet. The middle didn’t get firm enough. The second time, I used two smaller sheets with parchment paper and the noodles were firm enough to be cut without being too browned. If you don’t have small baking sheets, spread out the mixture from the end towards the middle, but leave a few inches in the middle without the mixture. 

Don’t let the color throw you. Once it’s combined with sauce and ingredients, it will look fine.

Keto Lasagna Ingredients

I used my tomato sauce recipe here. I make a big batch at a time and freeze in plastic bags, so it’s always ready to go.

I used ricotta cheese, Italian sausage (from Butcher Box, which I think is the best), pecorino cheese, mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, eggs, salt, pepper and parsley. As I said above, if you want to use ground beef, use some left over bolognese or meatballs instead of ground beef. You could also use Italian turkey sausage. Veal meatballs would be incredible in this recipe. 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covering with foil after 25 minutes.  

Rest for twenty minutes prior to cutting to get those nice intact pieces. 

Freeze: You can freeze pre-baking or post baking. We like to freeze individual pieces so we can have access to quick lunch.

Layering Lasagna

I made two layers, one with ricotta, one with ricotta and sausage, finishing the top with a layer of noodles, sauce and mozzarella.

This recipe only makes an 8 x 8 dish. If you want a large lasagna pan, double the recipe. I only used a 16 ounce container of ricotta, 2 cups (or one package) of shredded mozzarella and a half pound of loose Italian sausage. 

What is the nutritional value of keto lasagna?

Italian Spinach Lasagna

Meatball Lasagna

 

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Keto Lasagna

Italian Lasagna, comfort food, Keto Friendly with Unique Noodle Recipe

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto lasagna

Prep Time 26 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Resting Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 31 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Ricotta Cheese Filling

• 15 ounces ricotta whole milk cheese do not use non-fat
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup parmigiana reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons Italian flat leafed parsley finely chopped
• pinch nutmeg grated
• salt and pepper
• grated pecorino romano for serving

Lasagna Noodles

• 1 cup radishes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons cream cheese room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup mozzarella

For Assembly

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 pound Italian Sausage cooked
• lasagna noodles see below
• ricotta cheese mixture
• 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded for Topping

Instructions

Cheese Filling

• Mix everything except the egg, then taste. Once satisfied with the seasoning, add the egg and mix.

Make Lasagna Noodles

• Quarter radishes. Using fingers, rub with olive oil, roast at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes.
• Cool radishes. Put in either food processor or Vitamix type blender with remaining ingredients. Blend thoroughly.
• Prepare two small baking sheets with parchment paper or bake one sheet at time. This way the noodles will bake evenly. You must use parchment paper or noodles will stick.
• Allow to cool and cut into lasagna noodles. They may look a bit odd, but this will work.

Lasagna Assembly

• Cook Italian sausage into small bite sized pieces. If using sausage links, slice thinly.
• Heat tomato sauce on low.
• Start layering lasagna with tomato sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese, sausage. You will have two layers. Top with remaining mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 F. for 35 minutes or until cheese is very melted, but not browned. Halfway through you may need to top with foil to prevent burning.
• Allow to rest 20-30 minutes before cutting. You can use a warm tomato sauce to top when serving.

Notes

One way to make this easier, is to freeze sauce and meatballs from your last spaghetti and meatball dinner. You can also make this in a “freezable baking pan” and make this in advance. You can use a tomato puree instead of canned tomatoes and follow instructions. Only partially boil if you choose to use lasagna noodles that you boil first. Don’t use a crushed tomato for the lasagna. This recipe is best used with a smooth sauce. Don’t use a non-fat ricotta cheese. It makes a difference.

 

 

 

The post Keto Lasagna with Surprising Lasagna Noodles appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Can you remember something from childhood that you refused to eat and just clamor for now?

I need to learn how to love a radish.

I did not like radishes. I picked them out of salads and didn’t understand why they were there. One bite into the mustardy, peppery no purpose vegetable and my mouth would turn bitter. I didn’t get it.

I started to change my mind about radishes when shopping at the farmer’s market, because like everyone else, I’m attracted to beauty, and french radishes are pretty. I saw people crowding around oohing and ahhing the little bunches and thought “maybe I’m missing something.”

A little research explained to me that the  horseradish and wasabi get their pungent pepperiness from the same chemical combination as does a radish, (for you food geeks, this is caused by glucosinolates and the enzyme myrosinase which form allyl isothiocyantes when chewed ).

A light bulb went on.   No one sits around and chews on wasabi. It is served to offset other flavors and textures, to complement a dish, to bring to a bite  just one element and  I thought maybe if I just combine radishes with the right foods, I’ll come to appreciate this pretty little vegetable.

Give them to me roasted and I get excited. Give them to me in a salad of olive oil and champagne vinegar and I turn into a radish lover. Or slice them over buttered dark bread with salt and pepper and I’ll think I’m in France enjoying the simple yet wonderful bites of life. Recently, I just sliced some gorgeous french radishes, and ate them in a salad, and even decided to add some fresh zucchini that I picked from my garden.

Wait, you didn’t know you could roast radishes?

If you’re not too fond of the zing the radish delivers, then try roasting them. You can make it simple with a tiny bit of olive oil and sea salt. I discovered roasting when I made this roasted radish foccaccia that won a small cooking contest.

A radish brings style to a frozen mini pizza.

No time for foccacia, try topping puff pastry with radishes, tiny bit of olive oil, and nori sea salt for a surprising appetizer.

Get fancy and make watermelon radishes sandwiches to serve with borscht. The key is a good bread with cold, thick butter, and a sprinkling of dill.

Tell me, do you eat radishes or do you shy away like I used to? What’s your favorite radish recipe?

The post How to Love a Radish appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

What if I took the same basic components and got a little more exciting. Bread, fat, radish and salt, might become focaccia with olive oil, radish and nori sea salt. Nori is used most commonly in sushi, but I’ll bet you never had it flavor your focaccia.

When I was in San Francisco for the Food Buzz Festival, I did something I normally shy away from and I turned into my mother. Retro Rose is the queen of getting things for free. I found myself taking on her ways as I hung out at the booth of La Mar’s Mendocino Seasoning Company and begged them to give me a jar of Nori sea salt to take home. I managed to get my jar, but she most likely would have walked away with five or six delicious treats. I only wanted the Nori sea salt, because the flavor grabbed me and I couldn’t stop sampling.

It’s a briny combination of edible sea weed, toasted sesame seeds and sea salt, and when placed in olive oil, it’s the most unique marinade, dipping sauce or focaccia topping. It does an incredible flavor build to roasted vegetables, such as asparagus or radishes. When I was thinking about putting radishes on top of a focaccia, it just made sense to combine these flavors.

Follow the directions for the dough. While it is rising:
Mix nori sea salt and olive together. Set aside.

Slice radishes. Marinate in some of the olive oil, salt mixture. You can go paper thin or thicker. If you do slice thinly, do multiple layers of radishes and be sure to overlap.

After the final rise, poke holes into focaccia, brush olive oil and nori sea salt mixture. Bake without radishes, until last ten minutes of baking.

Take out of oven with ten minutes to go, layer on radishes, sprinkle with scallions.

Serve with dipping dish of more olive oil and nori sea salt.

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Fusion Focaccia with Radishes and Nori Sea Salt

Fusion Focaccia, Italian process, Asian flavors

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water divided 1/4 and 3/4
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 1/4 cups flour bread flour or all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t sea salt
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil for dough
• 2-4 T extra virgin olive oil for baking
• 1 Large bunch of radishes (enough to cover approximate 9 inch square pan
• 1 Bunch of diced spring onions
• 2 T Nori sea salt mixture can use another flavored salt or just sea salt

Instructions

• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water for ten minutes. Add 1 cup flour, salt, 2 T olive oil and mix well with hands. Add in remaining flour and water. If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes. At this point you can put into food processor or kitchen aid with hook attachment. Mix until dough is soft and pliable.
• Allow to rest for 90 minutes to 2 hours in bowl covered with damp towel (in warm place).
• Thinly slice radishes and marinate in some of the olive oil mixture. I used a mandoline to slice, but you can also use thicker slices. If you use thin, be sure to overlap and even double up. More is best, as the radishes will shrink.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees 30 minutes before baking time.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of nori sea salt with 4 T of olive oil. (You can use more or less as you prefer).
• Punch down, and put dough into bakeware, approximately two inches high. Impress with fingertip holes and then brush with olive oil/nori salt mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and add radishes and spring onion. Bake for another 10 minutes.

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