Keto Zucchini Meat Ravioli Recipe

Cutting carbs is a critical component of the wildly popular keto diet. The goal is to consume most calories from proteins and fat sources and less from carbs. The latest trend is to swap out pasta and rice ingredients for veggies, particularly cauliflower rice and zucchini pasta. Some people love to make their own veggie-based rice and pasta or simply buy them frozen at the grocery store. Recipe developer Kit Hondrum created a keto zucchini meat ravioli recipe that not only tastes fantastic but slashes the carbs by using thin slices of zucchini instead of wheat-made ravioli pasta pockets.

Hondrum described this dish as quite similar in taste to a regular meat ravioli or lasagna casserole. "My family didn't miss the carbs at all, and the zucchini taste is almost undetectable," she says. Although Hondrum doesn't follow a keto diet, she does eat what she describes as a moderate-carb diet, and many of her meals are keto.

"I've had some amazing Italian food in my life, including in Italy, and this is such a great low-carb option that still tastes authentic," Hondrum says. With a bit of dexterity and a dozen or so ingredients, you'll have this healthy and delicious dish whipped up and ready to bake in no time at all.

For this recipe, you'll want to select fresh zucchini straight from your garden, the farmer's market, or a grocery store's abundant produce section. The zucchini should be of medium size, and you'll want to pick up three or four of them. Measure out half a teaspoon of sea salt along with extra virgin olive oil and Italian sausage with the casing removed that you'll brown in a skillet and crumble up. Be sure to press or mince two cloves of garlic, freshly grate your Parmesan, grab the ricotta, and crack and beat a large egg. You'll also want to pick up a bottle of Italian seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, and pasta sauce. Shredded mozzarella will be the proverbial icing on the cake of this baked pasta dish.

Green zucchini is Hondrum's go-to veggie for this keto-friendly pasta dish, but a golden zucchini would work too. However, she advises against using a yellow squash because it has more seeds than a green zucchini and won't form pretty ribbons for wrapping up the ravioli pasta filling, she says. Make sure your zucchini is nice and firm — if it has many soft spots, it's no longer good to eat.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab your zucchinis and slice off both ends of each veggie. Use a cheese slicer, vegetable peeler, or mandolin to make long, thin, flat slices lengthwise. You'll want to end up with at least 32 such slices.

"I leave the peel because it's packed with nutrients and adds a pretty green color to the dish. But you could remove if you want," Hondrum says.

Once cut, lay the zucchini slices out on a cutting board lined with a towel or paper towels, then sprinkle with half a teaspoon of salt and set them aside. The addition of salt helps draw out any bitterness that's lingering in the zucchini strips.

Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet, and turn it up to medium-high heat. As soon as the skillet is hot, add in the sausage without the casing and begin to brown it until it's cooked thoroughly, stirring occasionally to break it up. Once the sausage has browned, add in the two cloves of garlic that you've either minced or pressed. Cook with the sausage for an additional two minutes, stirring occasionally. Set the combination aside to cool. 

Add one cup of ricotta to the meat mixture followed by a quarter of a cup of freshly grated Parmesan, one large egg, one teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and a quarter of a teaspoon of freshly grated black pepper.

Spread a cup of pasta sauce across the bottom of a medium baking dish. Hondrum says she uses a 10.5x7.5-inch for this particular recipe. Then she pats the zucchini slices one last time to ensure there's no moisture lingering. Place the zucchini slices in a crisscross pattern, using four total slices to make a T shape. Scoop two to three tablespoons of the filling in the center, then pull up the sides of the zucchini slices to create ravioli pockets. 

Flip them over and tuck the loose edges underneath, then set in the baking dish. Do this with the remaining slices and the rest of the ravioli filling. Aim for eight large zucchini raviolis.

"If some slices are smaller in width, you can layer three of them together instead of two," Hondrum says.

Slather half a cup of pasta sauce across the tops of the ravioli and top with a quarter of a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the ravioli pockets are bubbly and have just begun to brown, but no longer. Remove from the oven to cool, and top the ravioli pockets with a quarter of a cup of thinly sliced basil.

"You also can broil the ravioli on high for a couple of minutes at the end for a bit more browning," Hondrum advises. Serve alongside breadsticks, garlic bread, a side salad, or even garlicky steamed broccoli.