As I’ve mentioned, giving up pasta wasn’t too tough on me when switching to a Ketogenic lifestyle…it was giving up all the stuff that GOES with pasta: sauces, cheese, spices, meatballs… I’ve tried a few “keto” pasta alternatives and they just didn’t do it for me. When I first started out, my favorite substitute was simple: zucchini or sometimes eggplant, depending on the recipe. This was one of my first easy keto recipes – a cheesy keto manicotti recipe that made me realize that I can easily do keto for the long haul.
I still make this Cheesy Zucchini Manicotti recipe regularly – my kids love it and the zucchini mimics pasta so well, the flavors of the sauce, meat and spices come through perfectly. It’s hearty, super delicious and meets the macros – win, win, win! As with so many keto pasta alternative recipes, this one is another that’s great for meal prep and tastes even better the next day.
UPDATE: now that I’ve been living the keto life for over four years, I have found some decent keto pasta alternatives like NuPasta and Palmini – which are pretty tasty but I still prefer this keto manicotti recipe with zucchini. However, if you looking for a keto lasagne recipe – Palmini is the way to go. NuPasta is my go-to alternative for noodles, and it works perfectly with bolognese and tomato-based sauces or pesto.
Cheesy Zucchini Manicotti
Ingredients
- 4 whole zucchini squash, sliced lengthwise about 1/8″ – 1/4″ in thickness I prefer to use a mandoline for even slices
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups no sugar added marinara sauce I like Rao’s
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 – 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees.
- Spray an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with oil and set aside.
- Heat olive oil and butter in skillet over medium heat and add minced garlic. When garlic is soft, add ground beef, pepper, salt, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 of oregano and 1/2 of parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using.
- Brown beef until cooked through and add marinara sauce. Lower to simmer, cover and let simmer while you prepare the zucchini and filling.
- In a medium bowl, combine egg, ricotta and parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and remaining spices and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Coat the bottom of the prepared dish with 1/2 cup of meatsauce.
- Place about 1 tbsp of cheese mixture at the end of a zucchini “sheet” and roll loosely. Place seam side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini sheets and cheese. Arrange zucchini rolls close together, but not too tightly.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella over rolls evenly.
- Pour remaining sauce over rolls and shredded cheese.
- Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Place dish in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
