This Keto Lasagna Alla Bolognese is as close to the authentic recipe as possible. For us, the lasagna is all about the cheese and the flavor of the sauce! We don’t take shortcuts or use canned sauce. We prepare the sauce in advance as it needs a few hours to simmer for the flavors to come together. The only ingredient that we leave out of this keto recipe is the tomato paste. We do this to keep the carbs low and with a good can of tomatoes, we feel that it’s not necessary. This recipe is based on the traditional Northern style lasagna which uses a ragù and béchamel sauce.
Ragù
Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, isn’t it? This is why we don’t take shortcuts with this Keto Lasagna. We prepare the sauce almost exactly to the non-keto version. We add finely diced carrot, onion and celery to the sauce to add flavor. These vegetables are in a very low quantity (50 grams each) so they don’t add too much to the total carb count. It’s worth it and you do not want to leave these out! My family who has roots in southern Italy, told me that the Northern style ragù uses carrots to help cut the the bitterness of the tomatoes. This is a really nice alternative to adding sugar in the sauce. I have personally never added sugar but I know that is very common here in North America (don’t do it!).
For the sauce it is traditional to use a combination of ground pork and ground beef. You can also replace the ground pork with pancetta or 1/4 pancetta, 1/4 ground pork and 1/2 ground beef. Don’t use lean meat, as you’ll want the flavor from the full fat.
Tomatoes
A good sauce is always about the quality of tomatoes. Look for canned tomatoes from Italy with no additives. The ingredients should just say “tomatoes” and nothing else. Using quality tomatoes will drastically enhance the flavor of the sauce.
Cheese
It is common here in North America to use low moisture mozzarella or even ricotta to a lasagna. The authentic way is to use grated parmigiano-reggiano. Try this and you will never go back to only using mozzarella!
Homemade Keto Egg Pasta
Authentic Lasagna Alla Bolognese uses a fresh egg pasta with spinach. We’ve developed our own keto version for an even more authentic lasagna! These noodles are very easy to make and 100% worth the effort. Spinach is great to consume on a keto diet because its high in essential nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium.
For the noodles, take the spinach and and wilt them in a pot over high heat (about 2-3 minutes). Set aside to cool and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. In this recipe we prefer to use oat fiber, however you can also use psyllium husk or almond flour. In a blender combine wilted spinach, egg, cream cheese and flour. Blend until thoroughly combined.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly pour the mixture until spread evenly. You want your noodles to be fairly thin, but not too thin they fall apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 F for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into desired size.
(Mixture Spread Evenly on a Lined Baking Sheet)
(Cooked Keto Lasagna Sheet)
Store Bought Lasagna Sheets
If you don’t want to make your own lasagna sheets (although I recommend you do!) a great alternative is to use keto store-bought lasagna sheets. The Palmini Hearts of Palm Lasagna Sheets have no flavor, look like traditional lasagna sheets and hold their shape better than zucchini. For our Keto Lasagna, we use 2 cans of the Palmini Lasagna Sheets, A classic lasagna should have 5-7 layers. By using 2 cans, we are able to get 4 layers, making this recipe closer to the authentic recipe.
An option for preparing the Palmini lasagna sheets is to boil them for about 6 minutes and transfer then transfer them to a towel to completely dry. This step is optional but will create a softer lasagna sheet.
Béchamel sauce
Béchamel sauce is made from a roux with flour, butter, milk. This of course, isn’t keto friendly. In our keto béchamel sauce we use xanthan gum as a thickener and also incorporate some parmigiano-reggiano to help thicken and flavor the sauce. If you find that your sauce isn’t thickening, you can transfer it to a blender. In our experience this activates the thickener and helps to create a thicker sauce. You can even try to do this before you incorporate the parmigiano-reggiano.
Assembly
- Start by spreading a thin layer of ragù on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Cover the ragù with single layer of lasagna sheets, making sure that no gaps are showing.
- Add another thin layer of ragù on top of the lasagna sheets, combined with a thin layer of béchamel sauce.
- Sprinkle a small amount of parmigiano-reggiano (making sure to keep a good amount for the top layer).
- Repeat until all of the lasagna sheets are assembled.
- The final top layer should end with ragù, béchamel,and a heavy grating of parmigiano-reggiano.
Ragù Alla Bolognese (Keto-Friendly Bolognese Sauce)
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 50 grams Finely Diced White Onion
- 50 grams Finely Diced Carrot
- 50 grams Finely Diced Celery
- 1 lbs Ground Pork
- 1 lbs Regular Ground Beef (Not Lean)
- 1 Cup Dry White Wine
- 1 28 oz Can Italian Tomatoes I buy canned whole tomatoes purèe them before adding it to the sauce.
- Pinch Black Pepper To Taste.
- Salt To Taste. I usually start with 1/2 tsp and adjust/add more throughout the cooking process. I typically use about 1 1/2 tsp total.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add finely diced onion, carrot and celery to the pot and saute for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add the ground beef and pork to the pot and break apart with a wooden spatula until crumbled and browned. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 cup of dry white wine to the mixture,partially cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the smell of the alcohol is gone.
- Add purèed tomatoes to the sauce and simmer. Once simmer, adjust seasoning as needed.
- The ragu needs to simmer for 2-3 hours (partially covered). Throughout the cooking process you will need to add a splash of hot water to keep the reduction going.
- The finished ragu should resemble a thick stew.
- Use for lasagna or with your favorite low carb pasta and enjoy!
Notes
*Total batch should make about 6 cups of ragu*
- 487 Calories
- 6.9g Carbohydrates
- 1.5g Fiber
- 35.6g Fat
- 28.2g Protein
- 2922 Calories
- 41.3g Carbohydrates
- 9.3g Fiber
- 213.9g Fat
- 169.2g Protein
Keto Lasagna Alla Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 Batch Ragù alla Bolognese
- 2 cans Hearts of Palm *If not making homemade lasagna sheets.
- 70 grams Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Keto Bechamel Sauce
- 56 grams Butter
- 30 grams Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/8 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg To taste.
- Salt To taste.
- Pepper To Taste.
Keto Egg Noodles (If Not Using Hearts of Palm Lasagna Sheets)
- 150 grams Spinach
- 60 grams Cream Cheese
- 6 Eggs
- 1 tbsp Oat Fiber, Psyllium Husk or Almond Flour We prefer oat fiber!
- Note: This will make approx 3 layers of lasagna. You can double the batch to have 5-6 layers for a more authentic lasagna.
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 400°F; or 325°F if making Keto Egg Noodles.
Option #1: Hearts of Palm Preparation (If Not Making Keto Egg Noodles)
- Open the Palmini cans and drain the liquid in a strainer.
- Rinse the Palmini with cold water.
- Place the Palmini on a kitchen towel to completely dry.
Option #2: Keto Egg Noodles (If Not Using Hearts of Palm)
- Place the spinach in a pot and heat over medium-high heat.
- Continuously stir for about 2-3 minutes until all the leaves are mostly wilted.
- Set the spinach aside to cool. Once cool, squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- Place the cooked spinach, eggs, cream cheese and flour (oat fiber, almond flour or psyllium husk) in a blender and blend until thoroughly combined.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly pour the mixture until spread evenly, making sure that there are not gaps in the mixture. You want your noodles to be fairly thin, but not too thin they fall apart. Note: My baking sheets are 19" x 12" and 17"x 11".
- Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
- Once the noodles are done baking, remove from oven and increase the oven temperature to 400°F
Keto Bechamel Sauce
- Heat butter in a saucepan over low- medium heat until melted. Do not boil.
- Add heavy whipping cream, water, xanthum gum and nutmeg to the saucepan and whisk.
- While whisking, add grated parmesan cheese and stir until melted and combined.
- Once cheese is melted, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed by adding salt and pepper.
- Transfer sauce to a blender. This step is optional but it helps to thicken the sauce if needed.
- Allow to cool and cut into desired size.
Assembling the Lasagna - 3 Cups of Ragù
- Spread a thin layer of ragù on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Cover the ragù with keto lasagna sheets, making sure that there are no gaps showing. You may need to trim the lasagna sheets to fit your baking dish.
- On top of the lasagna sheets, add another layer of ragù, a thin layer of bechamel, and some grated parmigiano-reggiano. NOTE: Keep the layers of ragù thin. Depending on the size of your baking dish, you might not use all of the sauce.
- Add another layer of lasagna sheets and repeat. The top layer should end with the ragu, bechamel, and a heavy grating of parmigiano-reggiano.
- Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until top is brown.
- Remove from oven and let sit for about 20 minutes. Do not skip this step! This is very important to allow the lasagna to firm up and hold together once you cut into it.
- Enjoy!
- Once the egg noodles have cooked. Carefully cut into your desired size of lasagna sheet.
Notes
- 433 Calories
- 8g Carbohydrates
- 3g Fiber
- 34g Fat
- 21g Protein
- 519 Calories
- 9g Carbohydrates
- 4g Fiber
- 29g Protein
- 40g Fat
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried our Keto Lasagna Alla Bolognese! If you’re looking for more keto recipes, visit our recipe page.
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