Courgette Lasagne
This courgette lasagne swaps the usual pasta sheets for thin slices of courgette, giving you a wonderfully light, low-carb take on a classic. A savoury beef-and-vegetable sauce with fresh herbs and chopped tomatoes, topped with a golden, bubbling layer of Gouda, means no one will miss the pasta. It's a great choice if you're cutting back on carbs without giving up on flavour or a satisfying meal. Perfect for a relaxed midweek dinner or for prepping ahead.
Ingredients
- 2 courgettes
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 1 leek
- 5 carrots, medium
- 500 g minced beef and pork, mixed mince; or all beef
- 3 sprigs thyme, fresh
- 2 sprigs rosemary, fresh
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp vegetable stock, instant/powder, to dissolve
- 150 ml water, lukewarm
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 pinch sugar
- salt
- pepper
- 150 g Gouda, grated
- olive oil, for greasing the baking dish
The ingredient amounts above scale with your choice. The value per serving stays the same, while the total in the pot grows with the number of servings.
All nutrition values side by side
| Nutrient | per serving (estimate) | Total for 4 Servings |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 480 kcal | 1,920 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g | 72 g |
| Protein | 38 g | 152 g |
| Fat | 28 g | 112 g |
| Fibre | 6 g | 24 g |
| of which sugar | 10 g | 40 g |
How this is calculated
Target amount = ingredient amount × target servings ÷ base servings. The result is then rounded for kitchen use: from 100 g or ml to the nearest 5, between 1 and 99 to the nearest 1, pieces and spoons to half units, amounts below one unit to quarters, thirds or halves. Teaspoons and tablespoons also go down to an eighth, kilograms and litres stay finer.
Total = value per serving × target servings. The value per serving is unchanged, because ingredient amount and serving count change by the same factor.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (FIC), Art. 32 and 33: nutrition values per 100 g or 100 ml, additionally allowed per portion.
- European Commission, Guidance document for competent authorities for the control of compliance with EU food law, setting of tolerances for nutrient values declared on a label, December 2012.
Nutrition values are estimates from the recipe record, not laboratory results. Even for checked labels the EU sets tolerances: for fat, protein and carbohydrates 20 percent in the range of 10 to 40 g per 100 g, and 2 g per 100 g below that. Home cooking varies more, because variety, size and cooking loss of the ingredients differ. Kitchen rounding also shifts the total slightly against the plain rule of three. Anyone who has to keep amounts exact for medical reasons, for example during a nutrition therapy prescribed by a doctor, should discuss them with a doctor or a registered dietitian. Your serving count is calculated in your browser only, it is neither stored nor transmitted.
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and garlic. Deseed the chilli and slice into rings. Peel and finely grate the carrots. Clean the leek: halve it lengthways but leave the root end intact, then rinse the individual leaves under running water to remove any grit. Finely dice the leek.
- Brown the mince in a large pan without oil until lightly coloured. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the onion, garlic, chilli, carrots and leek to the mince and sweat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and let it cook briefly.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Dissolve the stock in 150 ml lukewarm water and add this too. Season with sugar, thyme, rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper, then taste and adjust. Let the sauce simmer gently on the lowest heat for 7 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C).
- Cut the courgettes into slices about 0.5 cm thick and season with salt and pepper.
- Grease a baking dish with a little olive oil. Arrange a layer of courgette slices over the base, spoon over some of the meat-and-vegetable mixture and scatter with a little Gouda. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with the meat-and-vegetable mixture on top. Scatter this final layer generously with the remaining Gouda.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the Gouda is golden brown.
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Nutrition facts per serving (estimate)
| Calories | 480 kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Fibre | 6 g |
| of which sugar | 10 g |
Frequently asked questions
Can I make courgette lasagne ahead of time?
Yes. Make the sauce and slice the courgettes in advance, and you can layer the lasagne up to a day ahead. Just bake it fresh shortly before serving.
How do I stop courgette lasagne going watery?
Salt the courgette slices and let them sit briefly, then pat away the released liquid with kitchen paper before layering them into the dish.
Can I swap the mince for a vegetarian alternative?
Yes. Use lentils, soya mince or a ready-made vegetarian mince alternative instead.
What temperature do I bake courgette lasagne at?
Bake at 180C (fan 160C) for 20 minutes, until the Gouda is golden and bubbling.
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