Paleo and gluten-free lasagna recipe made with a meaty Italian sauce, zucchini, and a nut cheese - so close to the taste and texture of a traditional pasta lasagna, i think you'll be amazed!
1lbmild or hot Italian sausagecasings removed (we used hot)
1/2lbgrass-fed ground beef
1/2cuponionchopped small
128-oz can San Marzano peeled tomatoes and sauce
115-oz can of tomato sauce
16-oz can of tomato paste
28-oz packages of sliced mushrooms
210-oz packages of frozen spinach (thawed)
4-5medium-sized zucchini
1 1/2cupof cashews
1/2cupunsweetened almond milk
3clovesof garlic pressed or minced
Seasonings for Lasagna Sauce
1tspof dried basil
1tspor dried thyme
1tspof dried oregano
1/2tspof salt
1/4tspground black pepper
1-2Tbspof fresh chopped parsley leaves
Optional: Add red pepper flakes as desired
Seasonings for Cashew Cheese
1tsplemon juice
1/4tspsalt
1/4tspdried onion
1/4tspdried garlic
1/4tspground black pepper
Instructions
Day before: Soak cashews in water (no need to refrigerate)
In a large pot, add 2 tsp of olive oil and sauté onion and garlic over medium heat, or until onions are tender
Add Italian sausage and beef in pot, cook until meat is browned
Drain fat
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste
Add remaining lasagna sauce spices
Allow sauce to simmer in pot while continuing below (best if simmered 30 mins to 1 hour)
In a frying pan with a little olive oil, sauté mushrooms (with any kind of seasonings or parsley if you like)
Set sautéed mushrooms aside
Place thawed spinach in bowl, squeeze as much water out of it as possible
Set spinach aside
Drain water from the soaking cashews, and pour cashews into a food processor
Add almond milk and spices to the food processor
Pulse or blend until cashews become a smooth and creamy consistency (something like ricotta cheese)
Add 2 cups of the cashew "cheese" into the bowl with spinach and blend together
Preheat oven to 350º F
Slice zucchini lengthwise, (first trim two opposite sides so it doesn't roll around on the board) Slice noodles about 1/4-inch thick (works by hand with a knife) don't worry about them all being the exact same thickness
Get out a 9" x 12" baking dish
Smooth a little bit of the lasagna sauce along the bottom of the pan
Place one layer of zucchini noodles lengthwise across the bottom of the pan
Add about half of cashew cheese and spinach mixture along the top of the zucchini noodles layer
On top of that, add half of the pan of sautéed mushrooms
Top with lasagna sauce enough to cover the top (don't skimp, there'll be plenty)
Repeat the above steps with a second layer of zucchini noodles, cashew cheese and spinach, and again with the sautéed mushrooms and lasanga sauce
Now bake uncovered for about 50-60 minutes (or until it starts to bubble around the edges)
Remove from oven, let stand a few minutes, slice and serve