Lasagne

• 500g           Large courgettes
• 1 tblsp        Salt – to salt the courgettes
• Knob          Butter – to sauté the onion and garlic
• 1/2              Large white onion (about 100g) – chopped
• 2 cloves      Garlic – chopped finely
• 1lb              Minced Beef
• 142g           Tin of Tomato Pureé (double concentrate from Sainsbury’s)
• 2 tblsp        Italian (or mixed) herbs
• 200ml        Water
•                    Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
• 100g           Cream Cheese
• 150g           Grated Cheddar (or other cheese of preference)
• 150ml         Double Cream
• 150ml         Almond Milk
• 1 tsp          Guar Gum
• 1 tsp           Butter

Method

• Preheat your oven to 175*C
• Grease your lasagne dish with butter.
• Wash and top and tail the courgettes.  Then slice them lengthways in 2mm slices.  I use my favourite fish-filleting knife for the best control
• Layer the courgettes in a bowl or on a tray, sprinkling the salt between each layer and set aside for at least 30 minutes.  This will remove some of the water-content from the courgettes and help to prevent your lasagne from becoming a soggy mess
• Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
• Add the minced beef and stir until the meat is lightly browned.
• Add the tomato pureé, herbs and water and once boiling, simmer on a low heat for 40-50 minutes to soften the meat.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and then take off the heat to cool
• Put the cream cheese and cheddar (or other cheese) into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat gently until melted together
• Stir in the double cream and almond milk and raise the heat to just below boiling.  Ensure all the cheese has dissolved into the creamy sauce mixture.
• Stir the guar gum thoroughly into the tsp of butter in a small bowl and when fully mixed, add this to the sauce.  This process allows the guar gum to disperse evenly throughout the sauce, as the butter melts, to thicken it without causing clumps.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper (and maybe a little nutmeg if you like) and then allow to cool slightly.
• Rinse the courgette slices in a little water to remove the salt and pat dry with kitchen paper
• Layer one-third of the courgette slices all over the bottom of the lasagne dish.
• Top with half of the meat and one-third of the cheese sauce
• Repeat the courgette, meat and cheese sauce layers a second time
• Add a final layer of courgettes and cheese sauce.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes

Serve with baked keto bread rolls infused with garlic butter and a little spinach salad. Enjoy!