Lamb, Beef and Butternut Squash Keto Lasagna

Lamb, Beef and Butternut Squash Keto Lasagna isn’t a quick recipe, but it’s so worth it. This nutritiously complete meal contains 8g carbs per serving.

Not strictly a lasagna by Italian standards, because there’s no pasta involved. But it’s multi-layered in a similar way.

The combination of flavours produce a fantastic result, with a high protein content and even higher fat load, which means it’s perfectly keto but equally great for ketovores.

Making it is a hands-on affair as there are various elements to prepare, but nothing too complicated, and I promise you it will become one of your favourite dishes.

How to Make Lamb, Beef and Butternut Squash Keto Lasagna

There is no denying a long list of ingredients for this dish. Most of which are spices and herbs, and are likely to be in your cupboard and fridge already.

The main stars are minced lamb and beef, butternut squash, and mushrooms. Crème fraîche, double (heavy) cream, mascarpone, and Parmigiano Reggiano are the dairy products you’ll need.

The key to developing deep flavour in the meat is to cook the mince long and slow with soffritto (mirepoix). All in all, from chopping to slow cooking, assembling, baking, and resting, it will take the best part of 3 hours. Reasonable alternatives would be a) cook the mince one day, then finish the dish the following day, or b) make it one-two days in advance and simply re-heat individual portions in the microwave – which is what I tend to do with left-overs anyway.

In terms of substitutions, you can swap the minced lamb and/or beef for any meat you prefer (except poultry), but don’t go for anything too high in fat content, or your lasagna will end up with oodles of liquid fat at the bottom of the dish.

You could also swap the butternut squash for celeriac, pumpkin or other relatively low-carb root vegetable.

The mushrooms add texture and earthiness, so I wouldn’t omit them.

In terms of herbs and spices, my selection delivers mild Italian flavours, but you can add chopped chillies or anything else you’re fond of.

The detailed recipe needs no repetition here. In summary: Chop your soffritto veggies and sauté them in a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the mince and brown it on high heat while breaking up any lumps, then add remaining ingredients and let it all simmer away. Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms and boil the butternut squash, leaving both aside for later. Once the meat is ready, pan fry the mushrooms. Then the layering begins. Bake your assembled Lamb, Beef and Butternut Squash Keto Lasagna until nicely caramelised on top, rest it, and serve it.

Enjoy!

Cook ModeClick to prevent your screen from going dark

1x2x3x

• 500 g beef mince – lean
• 500 g lamb mince
• 50 g finely chopped celery
• 20 g finely chopped carrot
• 1 garlic clove – minced
• 1 shallot – minced
• 15 g extra virgin olive oil (U.S. option HERE)
• dry white wine
• 1.5 beef stock cubes – crumbled
• 1 TBSP fine himalayan pink salt (U.S. option HERE)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp bay seasoning
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 20 g tomato paste – double concentrate
• 1 butternut squash – 825g gross weight > 680g peeled and cored > 500g cooked and cooled
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms – 200g net once peeled, or start off with 200g if you don’t want to peel them
• 15 g extra virgin olive oil (U.S. option HERE)
• 100 g mascarpone
• 50 g double cream
• 15 g Parmigiano Reggiano
• 300 g crème fraîche
• 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano

• add olive oil to a sauté pan and soften carrot, celery, shallot and garlic; then add mince and break up lumps with a stiff spatula.

  500 g beef mince, 500 g lamb mince, 50 g finely chopped celery, 20 g finely chopped carrot, 1 garlic clove – minced, 1 shallot – minced, 15 g extra virgin olive oil

• keep stirring and breaking up the meat until it is all brown, then add salt, spices, herbs, tomato paste, stock cube and 300g water (*see Notes below).

  1.5 beef stock cubes, 1 TBSP fine himalayan pink salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cloves, ¼ tsp white pepper, 1 tsp bay seasoning, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 20 g tomato paste

• stir and simmer over very low heat, lid slightly open, for 45 mins; stir, taste, adjust seasoning to your preference, add a little more water if necessary, and continue to simmer for a further 45 mins.

• remove the lid at the end and simmer for a bit longer, until there’s hardly any liquid left at the bottom of the pan and you hear it sizzle.

• while the meet cooks, clean and slice mushrooms, placing them in a frying pan, ready to cook them later.

  250 g chestnut mushrooms

• peel, core, and cut the butternut squash into 1cm thick circles, then cut across into semi-circles; boil in salted water for 4-5 minutes; drain and set aside uncovered to cool completely, allowing all moisture to evaporate.

  1 butternut squash

• when the mince is done, pan fry the sliced mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil (15g), add a generous sprinkle of salt and a splash of white wine, and cook until they sizzle; stir in mascarpone, double cream and Parmigiano Reggiano.

  dry white wine, 15 g extra virgin olive oil, 100 g mascarpone, 50 g double cream, 15 g Parmigiano Reggiano

• pre-heat oven to 220C static.

• lay half the mince in a deep, oblong Pyrex dish and press it down so it’s compacted; spread the mushroom sauce all over, add a second layer of mince, lay the butternut squash , then spread the crème fraîche over the top, finishing off with Parmigiano Reggiano.

  300 g crème fraîche, 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano

• bake for 30 mins until nicely caramelised.

• allow it to rest for at least 10 mins before serving.

*Lower quality meat often releases a lot of moisture. If you see that happening as you brown it, reduce the water you add – you can always top up more later.
Use Metric Kitchen Scales to weigh your ingredients:
Food Scales UK
Food Scales U.S.

Serving: 16th | Calories: 675kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 54g

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Whilst there is no extra cost for you, affiliation helps me buffer the expenses associated with running this site.