A Paleo lasagna dish that’s easy to prepare – it may not sound possible! But with some nifty Paleo substitutions and the use of your slow cooker, you too can enjoy this amazing Paleo-Italian dish.
Instead of dealing with the long layering and baking process of a traditional lasagna casserole, you’ll be using layers of eggplant, zucchini, and Italian sauce in your slow cooker, setting it up for the day, and returning to a delicious and hearty meal.
We really do believe that Paleo shouldn’t be about giving up, and we think this recipe does such a great job of combining the needs of the Paleo diet and the simplicity of a quick weeknight meal.
In this dish, you’ll be using some of our favorite noodle replacements in lieu of sheets of lasagna – eggplant, and zucchini.
Both of these veggies are awesome for a ton of reasons: Eggplant works well in any Italian meal (just make sure to sweat your eggplant if you prefer it drier), and zucchini is a perfect zoodle with a good amount of Vitamin C.
Since you’ll be cooking these in your slow cooker, definitely slice these a bit thicker than you might for a casserole – the long cook time can make these a bit too limp otherwise.
One of the benefits of a slow cooker meal is that there isn’t really a need to add other dishes, but if you are looking to fill up your plate a bit more, try adding a dish like this Italian chopped salad.
Slow Cooker Beef Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
Serves: 4 Prep: 25 min Cook: 6 h
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced length-wise
- 1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced length-wise
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 cups tomatoes, diced
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- ¼ cup fresh basil, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the garlic and onion for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the beef and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add in the diced tomatoes, bell pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, and tomato paste.
- Cook everything while stirring for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, stir everything, and season to taste with salt and pepper to complete the lasagna sauce.
- Alternate layers of zucchini and eggplant topped with lasagna sauce in a slow cooker.
- Finish with one last layer of lasagna sauce, top with fresh basil, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Zucchini Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini thinly sliced length-wise
- 1 medium eggplant thinly sliced length-wise
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- ¼ cup fresh basil minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley minced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.2 tbsp. olive oil
- Cook the garlic and onion for 1 to 2 minutes.2 garlic cloves, 1 onion
- Add the beef and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.1 lb. ground beef
- Add in the diced tomatoes, bell pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, and tomato paste.1 bell pepper, 2 cups tomatoes, 2 tsp. dried oregano, ¼ cup fresh basil, 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- Cook everything while stirring for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, stir everything, and season to taste with salt and pepper to complete the lasagna sauce.4 cups tomato sauce, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Alternate layers of zucchini and eggplant topped with lasagna sauce in a slow cooker.2 medium zucchini, 1 medium eggplant
- Finish with one last layer of lasagna sauce, top with fresh basil, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
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