Raise your hand if you love classic comfort food like me! Raise your hand if you also love to feel energized, light, and have mental clarity! Many classic recipes contain ingredients with low nutritional value or ingredients with inflammatory properties that leave us feeling bloated, sluggish and foggy. For example, many recipes include white sugar, refined flours, dairy milk, and other ingredients that could be optimized. By replacing these ingredients, the nutritional value of the recipe increases, some of the most common food sensitivities are eliminated and potential inflammation is reduced. Replacing the noodles with vegetables adds in micronutrients, phytonutrients, and additional fiber, all lacking in processed noodles. Converting the beef to organic grass-fed, grass-finished beef, keeps the protein in the recipe while providing a protein source with a greater anti-inflammatory omega3 to omega6 ratio. Grass-fed, grass-finished beef is also free of antibiotics and hormones that accumulate in our systems. Replacing the highly processed white sugar with coconut palm sugar, lightens the glycemic load of the recipe. Lastly, by using organic ingredients pesticide exposure is kept to a minimum (pesticides affect our gut health).

I hope you have fun making this flavorful masterpiece and savor it knowing all the health benefits you and your loved ones will receive.

Flavorful Vegetable Lasagna

Becky Witt

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground grass-fed and grass-finished beef omit beef to make vegan
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• 2 garlic cloves - minced
• 1 jar of your favorite organic tomato sauce
• 1  15 oz. can organic crushed tomatoes
• 2  6 oz. cans organic tomato paste
• 1/2   cup filtered water
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 2 tsp pink salt - divided
• 3 tsp organic Italian seasoning - divided
• 1.5 tsp organic dried basil leaves - divided
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley - divided
• Cashew Cheese
• Thinly sliced organic zucchini, organic yellowsquash, organic eggplant and organic portabella mushroom caps – 1 of each, depending on their size, sometimes best to get 2 zucchinis (these will be ournoodles)

Cashew Chesse Ingredients

• 1 –1^1/2 cups organic raw cashews soak in hot water for at least an hour and up to 24 hours
• 5 tbsp nutritional yeast 
• 1 clove of organic garlic (crushed)
• 2 tbsp freshly squeeze lemon juice of 1 whole lemon
• 1 tsp pink salt
• 2 tbsp organic dried oregano
• pinch of black pepper
• 5 tbsp nut milk of your choice add more for thinner consistency
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp raw honey

Instructions

 

Cashew Cheese

• Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, spreadable consistency. *Best to use organic whenever possible

Instructions for Preparing & Cooking

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add organic beef to a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until meat is browned, about 6-8 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat. Return the meat to the skillet. (Omit beef and this step to make vegan).
• Add the organic tomato sauce, organic crushed tomatoes, organic tomato paste, coconut palm sugar, 1 teaspoon pink salt, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon basil, and the black pepper. Stir until well combined. Cover and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the minced parsley. Combine meat with tomato sauce (if using meat). Add the water if too thick.
• Thinly slice 1 or 2 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, 1 eggplant, and 1 portabella mushroom cap.
• Assemble the lasagna. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, layer vegetables rotating between all 4 kinds, add a layer of cashew cheese sauce as to cover the vegetables, add a thin layer of meat/tomato sauce. Layer sliced vegetables once again rotating between zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and mushroom. Repeat with cashew sauce and tomato/meat sauce and the vegetable layers until baking dish is ¾ full. End with a layer of cashew cheese and then tomato sauce.
• Bake for 45 minutes with no foil.
• Allow lasagna to cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Six Reasons to Love This Recipe

1. You can easily mix up the vegetables with the seasons or guest preferences.
2. You don’t have to bother cooking the noodles. Just layer them up!
3. This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
4. You can even make this recipe vegan. See the recipe notes for details.
5. This recipe will satisfy your comfort food craving!
6. Pairs perfectly with homemade garlic bread made from Gracie Girl Bakery’s nutty no grain bread! (simply toast the nutty no grain bread, spread on grass-fed ghee or olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic powder and pink salt to taste preference)

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