Diabetic Friendly Beef and Vegetable “Lasagne”

Eating with diabetes doesn’t have to be boring or bland. There are many yummy recipes that will provide a healthy and balanced meal that will not spike your blood sugar. A few things to keep in mind when choosing meals:

Keep the carbohydrates low (under 20g if possible)
Choose low glycemic index carbohydrates
Include a good source of protein (chicken, fish, eggs, beef – aim for 20g of protein)
Include a healthy fat (olive oil, avocado, nuts)

Diabetic Friendly Beef and Vegetable “Lasagne”

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

For beef and tomato sauce

3 tsp macadamia nut oil
1 brown onion, diced
1¼ teaspoon sea salt
480g grass-fed beef mince
2/3 cup beef stock
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chilli flakes(optional)
3 garlic cloves, finely diced chopped
⅔ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups diced tomatoes or 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes

For the vegetable layers

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced in 0.5cm thick slices
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1 cm-thick disks
1 teaspoon sea salt
Coconut oil
½ cup torn fresh basil leaves
2 cups baby spinach leaves
3 medium zucchinis, sliced vertically into thin ribbons
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 180°C. Place a layer of sweet potato slices with a little coconut oil in a deep lasagne tray and pre-bake in the oven for 15 minutes, this will help to soften them slightly before we build the rest of the layers. Set aside
2. To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp of macadamia nut oil and sauté onion with a pinch of salt for 5-8 minutes, until slightly caramelised. Add another tsp of oil and bring the heat up to high.
3. Add beef mince to pan and cook for about 5–6 minutes, until browned.
4. Add stock, garlic, pepper, chilli, cumin and salt to meat and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
5. Add diced tomatoes, bring to boil and turn the heat down to simmering temperature. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, sprinkle eggplant slices with sea salt and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out some of the juices. Rinse and pat dry. Heat the oven back to 180°C.
7. In another frying pan, heat 2 tsp coconut or macadamia nut oil. Fry the eggplant in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side, until light golden brown. Set aside.
8. Take the baking tray out of the oven and start layering the lasagne in the following order: pre-cooked sweet potato, ⅓ of tomato meat sauce, eggplant slices, half of the ricotta, fresh basil leaves, the rest of the meat sauce pressed down evenly, baby spinach, zucchini, other half of the ricotta, drizzle of olive oil and some cracked black pepper.
9. Cook in the oven, at 180°C, for 35–40 minutes.
10. Increase the heat to 200°C for the last 10–15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil

Enjoy!

To make a consultation with our Nutritionist, Kasey, contact us now!