Easy Skillet Low-Carb Chicken and Courgette/Zucchini Lasagne

I don’t know too many WLS folks who fancy turning on the oven for a long period of time at the moment. We’ve had a bit of a heatwave in the UK, have sunny weather today, and even if the forecast looks a little cooler I have comfortably eased into cooking faster food that doesn’t need to be in the oven for hours. But I still do like my reliable oven-baked favourites on the menu. You know the kind of thing a Ricotta Bake, a Lasagne, a Shepherd’s Pie, a Fish Pie and a Tray Bake.

Some can’t really be cooked without the oven but some can be improvised to just be cooked quickly on the hob – and here is a Lasagne recipe that can be. It’s cooked in a non-stick skillet/frying pan and has all the familiar ingredients like meat (in this case chopped cooked chicken), a tomato sauce, cheese, basil and courgette/zucchini instead of pasta (for a low-carb option). It bubbles beautifully and melds together fantastically like a traditional lasagne.

I think it’s a great next-stage option after you move on from early day Ricotta Bake (see recipe here) and more likely to be enjoyed by the whole family. Serve with some salad if liked and my non-WLS family crew like a slice or two of garlic bread with theirs.

EASY SKILLET LOW-CARB CHICKEN & COURGETTE/ZUCCHINI LASAGNE

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray or mist

600 g/1¼ lb medium courgettes/zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1.25 cm/½ inch slices (about 4 US cups)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

250 g/1½ cups skinless diced cooked roast chicken

225 g/1 cup roasted garlic and tomato pasta sauce (Muir Glen or Asda for example)

175 g/2/3 cup ricotta cheese

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

8 tsp chopped fresh basil leaves

150 g/1¼ cups grated/shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Method

Liberally spritz a frying pan/skillet (about 25 cm/10 inches in diameter) with low-fat cooking spray or mist. Heat, add the courgettes/zucchini with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently for about 8 minutes, over a medium to high heat.
Stir in the chicken, reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the courgettes/zucchini are crisp-tender. Stir in the pasta sauce, mixing well.
Meanwhile, mix the ricotta with the Parmesan and half of the chopped basil until well mixed. Drop spoonfuls of this ricotta mixture on top of the chicken and vegetable mixture. Top with the mozzarella cheese.
Cover and cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until heated through and the mozzarella has melted. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving, sprinkled with the remaining basil.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½

CALORIES PER PORTION: 295

PROTEIN: 33.8 g

CARBOHYDRATE: 9.5 g

FAT: 13 g

Image courtesy of http://www.pillsbury.com