One of the things I struggle with most when it comes to buying bunches of herbs, is that I’m always left over with 90% of the bunch because almost every recipe calls for herbs in very small quantities- usually just for garnish! I absolutely despise wastage, so I’ve come up with many ways to use up leftover herbs, even if they’re bunches! This low carb lasagna with courgette roses is one such recipe.

There is NO gluten or grain in this low carb lasagna, and it’s not your traditional lasagna. It’s a very simple dish to make, but packs quite the wow factor when it comes to visual appeal.

The reason I make rolls out of the courgettes is not only limited to visual appeal, but because it’s actually helps beautifully marry all the flavors together without compromising on texture. By thinly smearing the herb spread on the courgette ribbons and then rolling them up to resemble roses, all the flavors will beautifully merge together and the aromatics of the herbs will infuse the delicate flesh of the courgettes.

Only a thin layer of of tomato puree is needed to line the bottom of the baking dish, to prevent the courgette roses from sticking to the base and to hold them in place because (a) the labneh and courgettes will release moisture of their own and (b) with the heat, the tomato puree will bubble and rise to completely line all sides of the courgette rolls.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t call for many ingredients and uses three of the most commonly found things in the Middle Eastern fridge: courgettes, tomatoes and labneh. If you’d like, you can always use another creamy cheese instead of labneh, but I love the slight tartness that labneh lends without being overpowering in any way.

It’s very important to use herbs that are organic, or homegrown, or better yet from a reliable source such as Badia Farms.

If you’d like to top this dish with some cheese, and/or  bolognese, or use ricotta instead of labneh, you can go full on with the lasagna feel, but you certainly won’t need to because this low carb lasagna is packed with aromatic, flavorful herbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo Courgettes
• 1.5 cups labneh
• 1.5 cups of chopped herbs. We used bunches of pea shoots, purple basil, garlic chives, lace mustard leaves, and wasabi leaves.
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• Crack of salt (and pepper, if you’d like)
• 8 x 8 oven safe baking dish

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread tomato puree evenly in the baking dish, set aside.
3. Using a mandolin, make thin ribbons out of all the courgettes.
4. In a bowl, mix the labneh, herbs and salt together.
5. Place one courgette ribbon on a flat surface, and using a spatula smear it with a thin layer of the herb and labneh mixture.
6. Keeping the labneh-smeared side on the inside, tightly roll the ribbons up and start placing them vertically in the baking dish, tightly packed.
7. Once the dish is fully packed with the courgette “roses”, pop it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the liquid seems to have fairly dried up. If you’re feeling indulgent, you can top with cheese of choice in the last 10 minutes.
8. Remove your low carb lasagna from oven, and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
9. Serve and enjoy.