Paleo Lasagna

AS YOU KNOW, LOGAN WOULD NEVER GO TO THIS MUCH TROUBLE! Luckily, you can make much or all of this Paleo Lasagna ahead, then bake to piping hot goodness right before serving. Great for the holidays, or just a family meal with leftovers. This dish freezes very well. I discovered these great SouperCubes on Amazon. I freeze big chunks of it so I can bake at another time when I don’t feel like cooking, but want a nice, hot meal. (I don’t get any kickback from SouperCubes-I just like them, so am passing along the tip. Works for soup, too. I use the small size to make lemon juice cubes.)

This lasagna hits many special dietary marks, also. It’s gluten and lactose free and can be made vegetarian, although I love the Italian Sausage, so I make mine with lots of that! I had never made cashew ‘cheese’ before, but have to say, it tastes just like ricotta in the lasagna. Tossed Salad and some good bread and you’ve got yourself a great dinner with plenty of leftovers.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS (for one 9 X 13” lasagna)

SAUCE (can make ahead or use bottled sauce in a pinch)

1 lb Italian sausage, mild or hot

½ lb grass-fed ground beef

Olive oil

½ cup onion diced small

3 cloves of garlic pressed or minced

1 28-oz can San Marzano peeled tomatoes

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch of salt

Ground black pepper

Fresh Italian parsley leaves for garnish

Red pepper flakes to taste/optional

CASHEW CHEESE (can make ahead)

1 ½ cups raw cashews

½ cup almond milk

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp dried onion

¼ tsp dried garlic

¼ tsp black pepper

LASAGNA LAYERS

2 8-oz packages of fresh sliced mushrooms

2 10-oz packages frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)

4-5 medium zucchini

 Directions for Sauce:

• In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in 2 tsp olive oil until tender.
• Add Italian sausage and beef, cook until browned-Drain fat
• Add remaining sauce ingredients, Simmer 30 min to 1 hour

Directions for Cashew Cheese

• Soak raw cashews overnight in water (no need to refrigerate) (OR, quick soak by boiling for 15 minutes) then drain
• Place drained cashews, lemon juice and spices in food processor with almond milk and pulse or blend until it has the consistency of ricotta cheese-smooth and creamy-doesn’t have to be perfect

Directions for Making/Assembling the Lasagna

• In a frying pan, sauté mushrooms with a little olive oil-set aside
• Place thawed spinach in a bowl, squeeze out as much water as possible
• Combine 2 cups cashew cheese with drained spinach and mix well with your hands (gooey!)
• Preheat oven to 350
• Slice zucchini lengthwise ~ ¼ inch thick (trim one side so it doesn’t roll around on the board while you slice the rest)
• In your 9” X 12”baking dish, spread a little of the red sauce on the bottom, then place one layer of zucchini slices lengthwise across the bottom of the pan
• Add ~ half of the cashew cheese/spinach mixture (will be thick, use your fingers to spread as best you can)
• Add half of the sautéed mushrooms in a layer on top of that
• Top with lasagna sauce enough to cover the top (about half of what’s left)
• Repeat with another layer of zucchini, cheese, mushrooms & sauce
• Admire your masterpiece and bake uncovered for ~ one hour or until sauce is bubbling around the edges.
• Let stand a few minutes, slice and serve!

(Leftovers freeze well. To reheat, place in a casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 for ~30 minutes until hot all the way through. Does not reheat well in the microwave from frozen.)