Lighter lasagne with aubergine pasta

This low-carb alternative to lasagne is lower in calories but packed with flavour

1 ratings

1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 6
2.5 of 5 a day

Nutrition: Per serving

Kcal258
Fat6.7g
Salt0.5g
Sugar11g

Recipe by: Sarah Drabble | Nutritionist

We know that eating too many processed starchy carbohydrates, like pasta, can contribute to weight gain. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a tasty lasagne. Simply try our low-carb version, which uses slices of aubergine in place of lasagne sheets.

Ingredients

1 aubergine (about 350g), trimmed, then cut lengthways into ½cm slices
Light cooking oil spray
1 onion, diced
1 stick celery, finely sliced
1–2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 medium carrots, finely diced
250g beef mince, 5% fat
250g turkey mince, 2% fat
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
1 reduced-salt beef stock cube, crumbled
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Small handful fresh basil leaves
270ml skimmed milk
1 tablespoon cornflour, mixed into a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons skimmed milk
80g half-fat mature Cheddar cheese, grated
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Method

Cook the aubergine in a microwave for 3–4 minutes, depending on how powerful your microwave is. Alternatively, preheat the grill to high, place the aubergine on baking trays under the grill and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side. This may need to done in batches. Set aside until needed.
Coat a large non-stick saucepan in cooking spray and warm over a medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic, carrot and both types of mince, and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly to break up the mince, until the mince is browned.
Sprinkle over the paprika and the crumbled stock cube. Then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, and mix thoroughly. Bring to the boil, then reduce the temperature and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until thickened. Once cooked, remove from the heat and stir through the herbs.
Meanwhile, to make the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Add the cornflour and milk paste and stir continuously until the milk thickens into a sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 20g of the cheese and the nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC. To assemble the lasagne, spoon some of the mince mixture into an ovenproof dish, then add a layer of aubergine slices and cover with a layer of béchamel sauce. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the mince – ending with a layer of béchamel sauce.
Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese, to evenly cover the top. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.