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
Protein: 26g / %
Carbs: 33g / %
Fat: 31g / %
Values are per portion. These are for information only & are not meant to be exact calculations.
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;
- 1/4 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 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 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 4 to 6 hours.