Lighter courgette ‘lasagne’
Looking for some new courgette recipes to add to your repertoire? This vegetarian ‘lasagne’ is a lighter alternative to the classic pasta dish and provides much more fibre. Courgettes are naturally low in calories and provide immunity-boosting vitamin C, as well as potassium, which plays an important role in maintaining blood pressure. The recipe also swaps the traditional creamy white sauce for a light, but protein-rich alternative, made with fat-free cottage cheese, 0% fat Greek yoghurt and an egg. Plus, it contains mushrooms, which provide a source of B vitamins, needed for heart health.
Serves 2
Spray oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 celery sticks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
150g small mushrooms, quartered
200g canned chopped tomatoes
A pinch of dried basil or some shredded leaves
3 medium courgettes
200g fat-free cottage cheese
100g 0% fat Greek yoghurt
1 small free-range egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Lightly spray a saucepan with oil and set over a low to medium heat. Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrot, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until tender but not coloured. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2 Add the tomatoes with their juice and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the mixture reduces and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3 Meanwhile, cut each courgette lengthways into 4 long slices. Lightly spray a griddle or frying pan with oil and se over a medium to high heat. Add the sliced courgette, a few at a time. To the hot pan and cook for 1-2 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove with a slice and drain on kitchen paper.
4 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180ºC fan/gas mark 6. In a bowl, beat together the cottage cheese, yoghurt and egg. Season with a little salt and pepper.
5 Assemble the lasagne: cover the base of a small ovenproof dish with four courgette slices. Top with half of the vegetable mixture and cover with four more courgette slices. Spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture over the top and then the remaining vegetable mixture. Cover with the rest of the courgettes and spoon the remaining cottage cheese mixture over the top.
6 Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately.
Recipe from The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.
