Easy Keto Lasagna

Keto Lasagna is a delicious, low carb replacement for the traditional lasagna that you certainly love to eat. It tastes just like the real thing and you will find it hard to tell the difference!

The first time that we made low carb lasagna we were pleasantly surprised at how good it came out. It’s so creamy, cheesy and bursting with flavor that it will become one of your favorite keto recipes. You’ll see how easy it is to make and how great it tastes! 

When our husbands and friends tried it, I loved their reaction because they were so impressed with the flavor and texture. They said how much it tasted just like a regular lasagna recipe even though it’s low carb!

We got a similar reaction with our Keto Pasta Noodles recipe, we we make all the time!

As a result we are now happy to share this low carb lasagna recipe with you too. Make it for your family and friends and you’ll see that they will love it just as much.

Why Is Lasagna So Good?

Lasagna is so good because it has the perfect balance on your fork of pasta, sauce, cheese and meat. A classic lasagna can have ground beef and sausage, several cheeses of your choice, tomato sauce, all layered together to create a mouth watering dinner. 

Pasta in general is comfort food, and lasagna is no different. It is a year round meal but when it’s cold outside it becomes a favorite winter treat!

As the one doing the cooking it is always a pleasure when you can make a “one dish” meal, especially one that everyone loves, and it tastes like you slaved over it for hours! We are happy to share with you how we make our good keto lasagna casserole.

Is Lasagna Bad for You?

You may be wondering if lasagna is good or bad for you? It is not really “bad for you” like eating junk food, but whatever kind of diet plan that you are on will determine if lasagna is healthy or bad for you. In that case you might have to alter or delete some of the ingredients.   

If you need to cut back on fats then you will want to consider omitting some of the cheeses in lasagna or use some low fat or reduced fat cheeses. Fatty meat like ground beef or sausage may be a culprit for you, so try to replace it with just very lean ground beef, some ground turkey or chicken. 

Adding some vegetables to lasagna, like spinach, mushrooms, or onions can give it extra nutritional value.

Carbohydrates that come from eating pasta can be a source of energy in our bodies, but at the same time can cause weight gain or health issues as a result of an overload of carbs. 

Since there is no such thing as “no carb lasagna,” we have developed a healthier, low carb lasagna for those of our readers that are on the keto diet or for people like me who are diabetic and can not tolerate the carbs.

Is Lasagna Low Carb?

Traditional lasagna is not a low carb dinner because of all the noodles filling the layers. That yummy pasta, that we all love, gets us all of the time. Unfortunately there is no such thing as no carb lasagna, but we can get real close by creating a low carb lasagna with very few carbs.

It’s a good and healthy keto dinner and at the same time it’s delicious. After all, most of the flavor in lasagna comes from the other ingredients besides the noodles such as the meat, tomatoes, and lots of cheese, cheese, and more cheese…all of which are keto approved ingredients.

I did some research and looked up a lot of traditional lasagna recipes, and averaged them out to show you the difference between traditional lasagna and keto lasagna:

• Each serving piece of traditional lasagna has an average of 40-50 NET Carbs.
• Each serving piece of our keto lasagna has only 6 NET Carbs.

That is a huge difference when you are counting the amount of carbs that you eat every day!!!There is no such thing as “no carb lasagna”, but we can get it pretty close as you can see.

Does Keto Lasagna Taste Like the Real Thing?

In my opinion nothing duplicates traditional pasta exactly, but as a whole casserole, our keto lasagna is a very good imitation of the “real thing.”

The cheesy flavors, creamy texture, the tomato sauce flavor along with the meat make it taste very similar to regular lasagna.

Ingredients

Low Carb Noodle Options for Low Carb Lasagna

When making keto lasagna we prefer to make our own “noodles” since they have the best flavor and hold up similar to regular pasta. They are also referred to as keto lasagna sheets.

However, if you want to use veggies in your lasagna, you can use ribbons made from zucchini squash or even spaghetti squash instead to replace the noodles. Shirataki noodles are a good replacement for pasta in this low carb lasagna too.

You can also use meatza, which is a hamburger mixture made into thin long pieces and used as noodles in layers for you meat lovers out there.

Noodles

• Eggs – Large
• Pepper – Black
• Salt – Sea salt 
• Italian Seasoning – A blend of spices that go well with Italian foods
• Mozzarella – Whole Milk, either pre shredded or shred it yourself
• Cream Cheese – Full fat
• Parmesan Cheese – Grated, either pre grated or grate it fresh yourself

Meat Sauce

When making the meat sauce for the keto lasagna casserole there are several choices of ingredients. Here are our favorites:

• Ground Beef – The most common meat for lasagna. For more flavor use 80/20 or 85/15. For a leaner type use 90/10 or 93/7.
• Onions – Any type that you have at home or that you like to use will be fine. I mostly use vidalia onions, but if there is a good sale on another type I will definitely buy them.
• Garlic Powder – Adds a good garlic flavor without all of the carbs that fresh garlic has.
• Salt – Sea Salt
• Pepper – Black
• Italian Seasoning – A good blend of several spices that go well with italian foods.
• Tomatoes – Fresh or canned are both fine. I usually use diced tomatoes in a can.

Cheeses

• Ricotta – A common type of cheese that helps to make the lasagna creamy. Use whole milk ricotta unless you need to limit fats. Then use low fat ricotta.
• Mozzarella – This is a must in lasagna for its firmness, stringy texture and flavor and it makes the best topping as the last layer in the keto lasagna casserole. Use whole milk mozzarella unless you are watching your fat intake and then you can use the skim version. It is best to shred it yourself, but you can also use pre shredded.
• Parmesan – What else says Italy besides parmesan cheese? Once again buying a block of it and grating it fresh yourself is the most flavorful but feel free to use pre grated too.

Tomato Sauce Options

In our keto lasagna recipe we chose to use chopped tomatoes from a can and mix them in with the meat mixture. We do this because we like chunky tomatoes in our meat sauce.

Another option is making your own homemade low carb tomato sauce. Ours is easy to make, delicious to eat and with very few carbs.

You can also use a jarred sauce, of course without added sugar, and a good one is Rao’s Marinara sauce. It has a light and simple flavor, which is perfect for lasagna with all of the other flavors of the meat and cheese going on.

Do You Put Eggs in Lasagna?

In our keto lasagna recipe we use eggs to make the noodles, because they help to give the low carb noodles some texture and will also help hold the noodle mixture together. 

Some people also choose to mix an egg or two in with the ricotta cheese to make it thicker.

When making Keto lasagna sheets, the eggs can also be replaced with:

• Flax seeds mixed with water
• Chia seeds mixed with water

Different Variations of Low Carb Lasagna

Lasagna is very versatile and you can do so much with it.  If you are looking for something different, you can modify the traditional recipe in many ways. 

• For meat lovers you can use ground beef, sausage, ground turkey, pork or chicken.
• For the vegetarians out there you can throw a bunch of veggies in your layers, Spinach, mushrooms, onions. Just be careful of the carbs in vegetables if you are on keto, and don’t go over your daily limit.
• If you need to watch your fat content, then use low fat/skim cheeses insead of the full fat/whole milk versions.

Bechamel-based Lasagna

If you don’t want to make a ricotta-based lasagna, making one with bechamel is also an option. In act, traditional lasagna in Italy is made with bechamel sauce and not ricotta. 

Don’t worry, making a bechamel sauce for your low carb lasagna is possible by using cream instead of milk and instead of white flour to thicken the sauce use some xanthan gum or a little cornstarch which will do the trick too.

How to Make Homemade Keto Lasagna 

We are going to share with you, step by step, how we make our keto lasagna recipe. It is not difficult to do at all, just follow the instructions.

STEP 1: Making Keto Lasagna Noodles

Making keto lasagna noodles is very easy to do and you will be surprised how yummy they taste too.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Now it’s time to mix up the noodle batter.

Take your 3 cheeses, the mozzarella, cream cheese, and parmesan and place them in a bowl and microwave it for 60-90 seconds until it is soft enough to stir and blend together.

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Now when the cheese is mixed together, add the eggs and the spices, in no special order.

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Blend everything together until smooth and creamy.

Next, get a large cookie sheet and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Spray the paper lightly with a non stick spray of your choice.

Pour it in the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and set.

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While the noodles are cooking and cooling, you can make the meat sauce, see directions below.

Let the noodles cool for at least 15 minutes. Then, cut the cheese noodles into the size that you will need for your lasagna layers.

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STEP 2: Making the Meat Sauce

Get a large non stick frying pan and pour the olive oil into the pan. Heat on medium-high.

Add the chopped onions to the pan and saute.

The next step is to add the meat and then the spices. Continue to saute blending everything together.

When the meat is pretty well cooked you can add the chopped tomatoes and once again, blend it all together while it continues heating up.

When everything looks cooked then it is time to start the next step while letting the meat sauce continue to simmer on low heat.

STEP 3: Putting Lasagna Together

Most lasagnas will have at least 3 layers and sometimes 4 if your pan will accommodate it. The important thing is to layer the ingredients in the proper order inside the lasagna pan.

1. Sauce
2. Noodles
3. Cheese

Add those three ingredients and then repeat in the same order, all the steps up to the top of the pan and then end with cheese.

Take the 3 types of cheese out of the refrigerator (mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan).

Spread about 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Lay out the noodles in the pan in large pieces if possible so that it will help define the layers.

Once that is done, spread a layer of ricotta cheese, then generously sprinkle a layer of mozzarella and sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the whole thing.

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Start again with the next layer of sauce, noodles and cheese…etc. Repeat until the pan is full.

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STEP 4: Baking

The last step is to bake the keto lasagna casserole. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, or you may have already left it going from when you baked the noodles.

Bake the keto lasagna uncovered on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

The exact baking time will depend on exactly how much volume is in your pan and also the temperature of your oven since some ovens run hotter than others.

How Do You Know When Lasagna Is Ready?

When low carb lasagna is done it bubbles all around the outer edges of the pan and the cheese will be melted and bubbling. The top is also a golden color, but not dark brown or burnt.

Best Tips

• Be sure the marinara or spaghetti sauce that you use when making keto friendly lasagna is a low carb sauce. 
• For convenience, use pre-shredded mozzarella, but for a better flavor grate a block of mozzarella instead.
• Sometimes pre-shredded cheese has flour in it which makes it harder to melt together evenly. Plus if you are watching your carbs be careful for hidden flour.
• Before layering your lasagna ingredients, allow the keto lasagna noodles to cool slightly so that the ricotta cheese does not melt. You need it to be more firm and sturdy when it’s baking.
• We like to use whole milk ricotta and mozzarella cheese but if you are watching your calories and fat count then use the skim version.  
• I like to cook the lasagna uncovered so that it does not build up steam and get runny or soggy. If you do want to use aluminum foil, only use it on top for the first 15-20 minutes and then remove it for the duration of baking time.

Why Is My Lasagna Runny?

If you ever made lasagna and noticed that it was runny at the bottom of the pan there are several reasons for that:

• Not draining the fat from the meat after you brown up the meat.
• By adding too much tomato sauce to the layers of the keto lasagna bake.
• Too many veggies, which have a large water content, can make keto lasagna runny.
• When you cover the pan with foil the moisture gets trapped inside and does not release, especially the first half of the baking process. It’s better to bake the lasagna without any foil on top.
• Sometimes when you take the low carb lasagna out of the oven, a little moisture is inside but letting it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it will allow the layers to cool and firm up.

Can You Overcook Lasagna?

Lasagna can definitely overcook if you do not keep an eye on it. It can dry out and the cheese on top can even burn and get hard if you leave the keto lasagna in the oven too long. 

To protect the lasagne from getting dried out, set the timer to 30 minutes so that it doesn’t overcook.

Cheese Filling Options

Cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta can all be used in lasagna. They are all similar dairy products that have a somewhat similar thick creaminess to them. My favorite choice out of the 3 is ricotta cheese, because it gives the lasagna a dense and firmer texture which will hold your lasagna together better.

• Ricotta Cheese – This has a mild taste and smooth texture and has a more authentic Italian taste than the other cheeses.
• Cottage Cheese – If you are looking for one that is lower in calories, and fat then this is the best choice. In fact, when people are on diets they tend to use cottage cheese as replacement for other cheeses.
• Cream Cheese – Creamier than the ricotta and cottage cheese. The latter two have a more chunky/crumbly texture. 

To sum it up, if you want to make a low carb lasagna recipe then use whichever cheese your tastebuds prefer. It’s nice to know that there are alternatives to use as a back up especially if you are missing one ingredient you can replace it with another one and still achieve a tasty keto lasagna casserole.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

• Gluten-free – There is no gluten found in our keto lasagna noodles.
• Sugar-free – Also no sugar found in our keto lasagna noodles or sauce or any part of our lasagna.

What to Serve with Lasagna?

Here are some ideas of what else you can serve with a no-noodle lasagna:

Placing a container of freshly grated parmesan cheese on the table with your keto lasagna is a must!

A tossed green salad is one of my favorite foods with Italian foods because it’s light and refreshing and always aids in digestion after eating a heavy meal.

Green vegetables, like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, zucchini, squash…etc, go well with keto lasagna casserole.

A basket of low carb garlic bread, dinner rolls or flatbread are always great on the side of your plate of keto lasagna.

Making Ahead and Storing Options

Low carb lasagna can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking it in the oven. Just be sure to cover it up before putting it in the refrigerator for best freshness results.

Leftover keto lasagna can be easily stored in the refrigerator for 5 days, as long as you wrap them up good to stay fresh. If you are like me I love to eat leftovers the next day.

How to Reheat

When you have leftover low carb lasagna, it is easy to heat it up. Either place it on a tray or pan and stick it in the oven or toaster oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

The quickest way to heat up your yummy leftover piece of keto lasagna is to pop it in the microwave, with a paper towel draped over the top of it and heat for about 2 minutes, depending on how hot you like it.

Can You Freeze Keto Lasagna?

Keto lasagna is one of those foods that freezes well and you can do it before cooking for meal prep or you can freeze leftovers.

Freezing Uncooked Lasagna:

Knowing that uncooked lasagna freezes well, as long as you are making one pan of keto lasagna for dinner why not put a second pan of it together and freeze it for another night when you may not have as much time to cook?

If properly wrapped in an airtight container, or even left in the lasagna pan, wrapped tightly, you can freeze it safely for at least 3 months. 

You can take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw it out slowly in the refrigerator or if you forget to take it out of the freezer, then just pop it in the oven frozen. Heat up the oven to 350 degrees until it begins to form bubbles all around the edges and the cheese on top is all melted.

Freezing Leftover Lasagna:

Don’t waste any leftover portion of your keto lasagna because you can stick it in the freezer. As long as you wrap it up properly, it won’t get freezer burn, and it will last about 3 months. 

When you are taking out the leftover portion of lasagna, just pop it in the oven, still frozen, in a baking dish and heat it up for about 30 minutes, just like you would if you bought frozen lasagna in a box and heated it up.

Tools to Use

• A tray to bake the keto lasagna noodles on.
• Parchment Paper for cooking the noodles.
• A pan to bake the keto lasagna in.
• A knife to cut the lasagna.
• A spatula to serve the low carb lasagna.

Can I Bake Lasagna in Pyrex?

You can certainly use a pyrex pan to make your keto lasagna in. That’s what most of us have in our kitchen already and it works great.

Is it OK to Cook Lasagna in an Aluminum Pan?

You can also make lasagna in an aluminum pan, in fact sometimes when you buy them they may call them “lasagna pans”.

When we go to a picnic and are asked to make a lasagna, we always make it in a disposable aluminum pan, which makes for an easier clean up and you also don’t have to worry about collecting your good pan when it’s time to leave the picnic.

What is the Best Pan to Bake Lasagna In?

Of course you can make keto lasagna casserole in any size pan that you have in your kitchen, but most people do have a 13 x 9 inch pan in their house that can easily be used to make lasagna. 

There is such a thing as a true lasagna pan which is a little deeper than your traditional 13 x 9 pan. That way you can easily get 4 layers instead of 3. 

For instance I have a glass pan that is my favorite for lasagna, which is 15 x 11 and is an extra inch deeper, which really gives me a good size lasagna. This works out well when we are having several people over for dinner or if I just want to have leftovers for the week. 

However, in this recipe, I made our keto lasagna in a square 9 x 9 inch pan to show you that low carb lasagna can be made to whatever size fits your needs.

What is Lasagna?

Lasagna is a layered pasta casserole that is a favorite of so many people. It usually consists of long pasta sheets, layered with meat, cheeses and sauce, then baked in the oven to create a delicious Italian, one dish, meal.

It originated way back in Italy in the Middle Ages, around the 14th century and it tracks back to the Naples area.

However, it may come as a surprise to you that lasagna was in Ancient Greece before it was in Italy. Since then it has become a classic, well-loved Italian favorite over the years!

Lasagna vs Lasagna alla Bolognese

Before my son moved to Italy I had no idea that there was a difference between the American Lasagna and the original Italian version, Lasagna alla Bolognese.

He came back home and went to work in my kitchen and showed us how to make the traditional lasagna from Italy. It was such a hit around our dinner table with our family and a few close friends!

Ricotta is just something that they do not use in their lasagna in Italy and that it’s an American thing. It is easier to scoop the ricotta cheese out of the container and spread it between the layers, and call it a day, whereas making a homemade bechamel sauce to smooth in between the layers takes a lot more time but it is well worth the effort.

Italians use a bolognese sauce, which is a type of meat sauce. Lasagna alla bolognese uses 2 sauces to form the dish, cream sauce and meat sauce or Ragu. This way of making it is most common in the northern part of Italy, in the city of Bologna in the region of Emilia-Romagna. In many Italian families it is a symbol of Sunday lunch and family gatherings.

Is Lasagna Spelt with an A or E?

This is an interesting question and answer. In Italy lasagna is spelt with an e and the end as lasagne. In italian, most words that finish with an A are singular and words that finish with an E are plural.  In Italian, lasagne is spelt with an E, making the dish plural.

Some southern Italians spell the word with an A at the end, and it migrated over to the United States in that form and the spelling stuck in English.

To sum it up, no matter which way you spell it, the meaning is the same. Keto lasagna and Keto lasagne are both the same recipe and once you are eating it, it doesn’t really matter how it’s spelled, it only matters how it tastes!!

Other Low Carb Italian Recipes

If you are in the mood for some more low carb Italian recipes, check out these:

• Crispy Keto Chicken Parmesan
• Keto Eggplant Parmesan
• Low Carb Pizza Crust
• Keto Pasta Noodles
• Easy Fathead Pizza Crust

All of them are low carb and Keto-friendly and will have your friends and family raving!

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