Whole30 Lasagna
While winter is still holding on for a few more days, I thought it was the perfect time to load up on some hearty lasagna. This wholesome take is the perfect quick and filling meal. I created this one when Rachel and I partnered with our friends at PRE Beef, and it hasn’t failed us since. This January it blew up on the private Whole30 facebook page, so we decided to make it official and post it here. It has all the warming properties of lasagna with pasta and none of the belly ache!
What You'll Need:
1 lb PRE ground beef, 92% lean or higher
4-5 medium zucchini
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 bag spinach or 1 box frozen spinach
1 can tomato sauce, 14oz
1 can tomato paste
1 container sliced mushrooms (if you like them)
1 large white onion, diced
2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil, divided
2 TBSP Italian Seasoning, divided
Fresh basil for garnish
4 cups cashew cream (Make cashew cream by soaking 4 cups of cashews in 6 cups of water for minimum 1 hour, longer if possible. Put soft cashews into a blender with 2 cups of new water and puree until smooth.)
What I Did:
Preheat your oven to 350. If you are using frozen spinach, defrost it. Grease your baking pan with 1 TBSP oil.
First you will want to make your sauce. Put diced onion in a non-stick skillet at medium-high with 1 tsp ghee or olive oil. Salt the onions. Cook until beginning to turn brown. Stir frequently. (If you’re using mushrooms add them to the onions.) Add the chopped garlic.
When the onions are brown, season both sides of ground beef with salt and pepper. Add your ground beef to the skillet. Add Italian Seasoning. Break up chunks of ground beef with a wooden spoon.
If you’re using fresh spinach, wilt it in to the ground beef mixture. If you’re using frozen, add it later.
Add your tomato sauce and paste to the skillet. Mix well until onions, mushrooms, beef, spinach, and sauces are well incorporated. Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer.
While the sauce is cooking, cut off ends of zucchini. Slice zucchini into thin, flat strips.
Lay your zucchini lasagna noodles flat across the pan.
Add a layer of meat sauce. (If you’re using frozen spinach, add a layer on top of the meat sauce.)
Put 2-3 dollops of cashew cream on top of the warm sauce. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it out. It won’t spread well until it’s warm, and even then, it may get mixed into the sauce–it’s okay!
Continue to layer the ingredients until the pan is full.
Heat at 350 for 35-40 minutes until you hear the sauce starting to bubble. If you want, you can broil it for a few minutes until the cashew cream on top starts to brown. Enjoy!
