Now, before you go passing any judgements on this Paleo and Whole30 lasagna, just promise me you'll try it before you make any decisions - OKAY?! This gluten free & dairy free zucchini noodle lasagna is a total life saver especially when you are doing a Whole30 and craving pasta. The flavorful tomato sauce paired with the creamy cashew "cheese" is so delicious you won't even miss the dairy. I'm serious! This recipe can easily be made vegan and vegetarian by omitting the meat and adding veggies to the sauce - so it truly caters to everybody! It's filling, made with nutritious, whole foods without all of the heavily processed ingredients normally found in lasagna. Not only is this a delicious meal for your whole family to enjoy, but it is so easy to make! Can't wait to see you all try this zucchini lasagna recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
3 large zucchini, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
1 (24oz) jar of Rao’s marinara sauce (Whole30 compliant)
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Pederson’s Farms No Sugar Italian Ground Sausage (Whole30 compliant)
1 yellow onion, diced
1½ tbsp tomato paste
¼ C water
1 C chopped green onions
2 C raw, unsalted cashews
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Additional Supplies:
Blender or food processor
Large skillet
Colander
Mandolin or sharp knife
13x9in baking dish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 deg (F).
In a small saucepan, cover cashews with water and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
While the cashews are boiling, heat a large skillet on med/high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil.
Add onions to the skillet and saute for 3-4 min until they start to soften. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the meat is fully cooked through and no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks so there are no large chunks.
As the meat cooks, prepare your zucchini. Slice off the stem, then cut the zucchini in half widthwise (creating two 3-4 inch long cylinders).
If you have a mandolin, set it to ¼ inch thickness, and slice your zucchini lengthwise, creating flat zucchini “noodles”
If you do not have a mandolin, use a sharp knife to slice ¼ inch thick “noodles”. I do this by one at a time standing each piece of zucchini up on the round end, then making careful slices in a downward motion.
Once the meat is fully cooked, add the tomato paste and ¼ C water to the meat mixture. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the jar of marinara sauce, reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer until the rest of the ingredients are ready, stirring periodically.
Drain the boiled cashews using a colander, and place the cashews into the blender. Add 1 C of lukewarm water, 2-3 raw garlic cloves, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cover and blend until the mixture is smooth and thick. (You want it to be similar to the consistency of a thick BBQ sauce)
NOTE: After the mixture is starting to smooth out in the blender, you may need to stop the blender and stir the mixture with a spoon because sometimes the liquid will rise to the top. Place the lid back on and blend until the mixture thickens.
Remove the cashew cream from the blender and place into a bowl. Stir in the chopped green onions and set aside.
Start to build your lasagna! Coat the bottom of your baking pan in a light layer of the meat sauce. Form a layer of sliced zucchini, arranging them in a flat layer. It is okay if they do not perfectly fit into the pan and there are some gaps between the zucchini. Spread a layer of the cashew cream and green onion mixture on top of the zucchini, then top with another layer of meat sauce.
Repeat the layering instructions. You should be able to complete 2 full layers and then finish with a final layer of the meat sauce.
Once you have assembled your lasagna, place in the oven and cook for 22-25 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 min
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6-8 servings
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