Vegetable Meat Lasagna

Recipe Type: Lunch, Dinner

Dietary Info: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Elimination Diet, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole 30

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

*Time Includes Chopping

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP Avocado Oil

• 1 Onion, Diced

• 4 Garlic Cloves, Minced

• 2 Carrots (or 2 Cups), Diced

• 1 Zucchini (or 2 Cups), Diced

• 1 Yellow Squash (or 2 Cups), Diced

• 1 Cup Mushrooms, Chopped

• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Or mixture of thyme and basil)

• 1 12 oz Pack Of Frozen Spinach, Thawed and Drained

• 1 25-28 oz Jar Marinara Pasta Sauce (or 3 Cups)

• 1 lb Ground Beef

• 9 Lasagna Noodles (Gluten Free, Chickpea, or Regular)

• 2 Cups Non Dairy Ricotta: Cashew Ricotta or Tofu Ricotta

• Salt and Pepper To Taste

• Toppings:

  • Almond Parmesan Cheese

  • Fresh Basil Leaves

How To:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the packaging and set aside.

3. Add ground beef into a large pan over medium heat and saute until brown (about 15 minutes).

4. Once it is cooked through, drain the fat and add the sauce, leaving ⅓ of a cup left over. Stir together over low heat for about 5 minutes and set aside.

5. Chop up all of the veggies.

6. Saute the veggies in a large pan over medium heat by adding avocado oil, onion, and garlic for the first 5 minutes.

7. Next, add the carrots, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and herbs/seasonings. Saute for another 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

8. Mix together the ricotta of choice and spinach.

9. Assemble in a large rectangular baking dish (9 X 12) by spreading ⅓ cup of leftover non-meat sauce on the bottom, adding a layer of pasta, then ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture, then ½ of the vegetables.

10. Repeat with another layer of pasta, 1.5 cups of the meat sauce, the rest of the ricotta, and then the rest of the vegetables.

11. Add one more pasta layer and top with the remaining meat sauce. Cover with a lid or foil.

12. Bake in the center rack for 40 minutes, then let rest covered for 5 minutes.

13. Remove the cover and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

14. Add a sprinkle of almond parmesan and freshly chopped basil. Enjoy!

Variations:

• To make this Paleo, Elimination Diet, and Whole 30 friendly, replace lasagna with slabs of zucchini.

• To make this gluten free, choose gluten free or chickpea lasagna OR use slabs of zucchini instead.

• To make this grain free, choose chickpea lasagna OR use slabs of zucchini instead.

• To make this vegan or vegetarian, omit ground beef and use more vegetables.

I’d love to see you post your creation or modification of this recipe! Use the hashtag #kristenroserecipes and tag me @kristenrosexo and I’ll look out to repost it! :)