Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan

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I don't like eggplant.  Broccoli and squash can get old. I admit, this purple vegi looks interesting when you see it in the vegetable isle, but looks can be deceiving. I have tried several "mushy" eggplant recipes without success, until I had an epiphany.

"Eggplant Parmesan"!!!!...Aaahhhhhhhhhhhh (That is an epiphany sound, not the beginning of a sneeze)

Eggplant Parmesan happens to be one of my all time favorite Italian recipes and eggplant happens to be the one of the main ingredients.  I figured that this would be an easy recipe to modify into low carb as the only change would be to find a replacement for the breading.  I have used this breading several times, and each time I modify it with precision engineering measurements (aka just throw in different amounts of the main ingredients and experiment as you go).

Layers:
1 Large Eggplant
Shredded Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Sauce:
1 Small White Onion
1 Small Green Bell Pepper
12oz Can Diced Tomatoes
4oz Can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2 Links Italian Sausage
Italian Seasonings or Basil Pesto
Garlic
Salt

Low Carb Breading:
1/3 C Almond Meal
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
1/8 C Ground Flax Meal
2 Tbsp Coconut Flour
Salt
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning
2 Eggs

Peel the eggplant. Using the thickest setting on your mandolin slice the eggplant into slices.  If you don't have a mandolin, go buy one, you won't regret it.  You can use a knife, but it is difficult to get thin slices, so be patient.  Beat the eggs in a bowl, and in a separate dish mix the dry ingredients for the breading. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg, lift and let drain a second, then coat with breading.  Shake off excess and place on a roasting rack in a cookie sheet. Bake 15-25 minutes @ 350F or until the breading browns and is fragrant like roasted almonds.

Meanwhile, cook the sausage links in a pan.  Remove and set aside to cool.  Dice the onion, bell pepper, & garlic and saute until softened.  Add the tomatoes, sauce, pesto/seasoning, and a pinch of salt.  Slice the sausage links and add them to the pan.  Simmer until eggplant is ready.

In a casserole dish place a layer of eggplant, top with a layer of sauce, sprinkle with shredded & Parmesan cheeses, then repeat until you are out.  Should make about a 1" thick casserole.  Place in the oven @ 350F and bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

This recipe definitely satisfied my craving for eggplant parmesan. Surprisingly the breading tastes great, and doesn't get soggy when you bake it in the casserole.  I even had reheated leftovers and the breading held up much better than the regular carb loaded versions.

Zucchini Spinach Lasagna

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1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 Jar Marinara Sauce
Italian Seasoning
Minced Garlic
1 Diced Onion
2 Large Zucchini
2 Cups Shredded Cheese
1 Pkg Cream Cheese
1 Bunch Fresh Spinach (or 1 pkg Frozen Spinach)

I was initially inspired to make a low carb lasagna from some of the other blogs that have made some pretty good looking recipes. I found some delicious low carb lasagna recipes, but I still longed for a low carb replacement for the noodles that would provide the lasagna some body and a noodle like texture between the layers.

In a skillet saute the onions and garlic.  Add the sausage and turkey and brown.  Drain any excess grease and add the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning and reduce heat to a slow simmer.

Take the zucchini and slice them lengthwise as thin as you can, or approximately 1/16" thick.  I would highly recommend a mandolin slicer to get nice thin slices, but you can use a sharp knife as long as you have patience and a steady hand.  Don't fret about having perfect slices, as you can easily piece everything together in the dish.  Note, as seen from the photo below I did not have a mandolin slicer for the zucchini and I could probably use a bit more patience but it pieced together fine.

Spray a 9x13" casserole dish with pam.  Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of zucchini slices.

Then top the zucchini with a layer of the sauce, then some spinach, then some dollops of cream cheese as shown below.

Repeat zucchini, sauce, spinach, cream cheese until you run out or the casserole is full, whichever happens first.  The top layer should be a layer of zucchini slices topped with the shredded cheese.  Place in the oven @350degF for 30 to 45 minutes.  The lasagna should be bubbling and the cheese melted.

Note, this was the point in the experiment that I thought I had failed miserably because as I took it out of the oven I noticed that the zucchini slices had put off a significant amount of water.  I was afraid that all was lost and we would end up with a soupy mess.  This however was one of those mistakes that turned out to be good in the end.  I was able to easily drain all the excess water off of the casserole and I was left with a fairly stable lasagna.  I know, I know...you are not supposed to have to drain lasagna, but trust me, it's worth it.

Slice and serve.  Continue to drain any excess water as needed.  Even though the water is a bit of a pain, the taste of the lasagna was amazing.  The zucchini "noodles" added a good flavor and decent body to the lasagna.  A future experiment (maybe pre-cooking) is planned as an attempt to pull some of the water out of the zucchini prior to assembling the lasagna.