I need to be honest with you, I am actually not a big fan of lasagna. But really what it comes down to is the ricotta cheese. For whatever reason, the texture of ricotta cheese just really gets my gag reflexes going. But for the sake of the "game" I decided to take on the challenge of making a healthier version of lasagna. So here it is! And honestly, my husband (who also isn't a big fan of lasagna) and I both really liked it. My kids weren't 100% on board, but they loved the sauce so it wasn't a complete fail for them.
I honestly have never made lasagna, but with the right ingredients, it can be super easy to throw together! Here's what I used to make it.
Grain Free Lasagna
1 1/2 lbs ground beef browned
5 medium zucchini's sliced thin length wise
1/2 yellow onion, minced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
32 oz canned tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
(replace both canned tomatoes and tomato sauce with 32 oz organic, sugar free marinara)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 Tbls italian seasoning
2 tsp salt
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a frying pan coat with olive oil and turn on medium heat. Place sliced zucchini on the pan, cooking on one side for 2-3 minutes before turning over. You want the zucchini to be slighly brown but still crunchy. When done, place the zucchini strips on a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.
In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, marinara sauce (or homemade sauce), garlic, onions, italian seasoning, and salt. Mix well.
To assemble the lasagna, start by layering the bottom of a 9x13 pan with the sliced zucchini. Add a thin layer of parmesan cheese on top, even spread your meat mixture next, then add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese atop the meat layer. Repeat this layering 2 more times, resulting in 3 layers.
Once done, back lasagna in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately!
Some Helpful Tips
Like I mentioned before, if you have the right ingredients than you can whip this meal together in no time! To simplify it I would have excluded the onion, garlic, italian seasoning, and salt if I had a jar of organic marinara sauce on hand.
Why buy organic over your traditional marinara sauces? Well most marinara sauces have sugar in them, which is completely unnecessary. For one, cane sugar is a GMO crop, which means it's been sprayed in glyphosate, which is an extremely harmful chemical that causes all sorts of problems when ingested. It can lead to many health issues as well, so we should try to steer clear from it as best as we can. Sugar is also super inflammatory to our guts, especially if we already are experiencing gut health issues, brain health problems, skin disorders, autoimmune diseases, and insulin resistance. Not all organic marinara brands are sugar free, so make sure you turn the jar over and read the ingredients listed. If it's organic, it also means that it can't have any artificial dyes or preservatives, which are also harmful to the gut.
So how do we know which foods are worth buying organic or non-organic? This is where Nutrivation's 6 week Learning Nutrition Course comes into play. In this course you will learn all about how to identify which foods and products are best to buy organic and which ones are not as big of a deal. For some, buying organic is a big deal! It can be expensive and also overwhelming. This course will help you learn how to make simple changes that will also be inexpensive and healing!
If you're not ready to commit to Learning Nutrition, than consider signing up for Nutrivation's FREE Intro to Learning Nutrition Class, which is 4 weeks of incredible education that will help you get your health and nutrition headed in the right direction!
I can't wait to see which recipe I will be recreating next week! Stay tuned!
See you next week!
Danielle
Comments