Advanced Plan Lasagna

This is amazingly hearty and replaces the traditional lasagna dish perfectly and has two options for “noodles”.  Impress your friends with this one!

Advanced & Core Plan

Serves 6-8

Option 1:  ZUCCHINI

2-3 organic zucchini

Use a mandolin to slice the zucchini longways into “noodles”.

Option 2:  CREPES

You can make the crepes ahead and either store them in the fridge or freezer.  Crepes can be a little tricky to make because they are very thin and fragile.  The great thing about using them in this recipe is that it doesn’t really matter what they look like.  You will be cutting them up anyway.  Use this opportunity to practice making them.  The trick is to have the skillet hot enough and to disperse the batter very thinly over the bottom of the skillet.

Crepes:
6 large organic eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or 1/2 cup coconut milk + 1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons coconut flour, sifted
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil or butter
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Coconut oil or butter for pan
(makes about 10 crepes)

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Let the batter sit while you heat a skillet.  (preferably cast iron or non-toxic enameled surface).  Pour ¼ cup of the batter into the hot pan and turn in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly and thinly around the pan. .  You do not want to have any open spots.  Cook for about a  minute or until the edges start to lift. Gently work a spatula under the crepe and flip it over. Cook on the second side for 15-20 seconds and then remove.
Add a bit more oil to the pan each tome and continue with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes on a plate as you work.

MEAT SAUCE:

2 lbs grass fed ground beef
2 jars organic pasta sauce (check ingredients for sugar and additives)

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. organic ricotta cheese (optional) OR melt 1 cup fontina cheese plus 1/2 cup cream cheese (optional)
4 cups organic mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet and brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Drain off fat.  Add pasta sauce and stir to mix.  Set aside.

When ready to assemble the lasagna, put a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish.  Add a layer of zucchini or crepes, cutting as necessary to make a layer.  spread with ricotta or fontina mixture, if using and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.  Add another layer of meat sauce, zucchini or crepes, ricotta or fontina mixture, and mozzarella.  Keep layering until all ingredients are used up.  End with meat sauce and cheese on the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly on top.  Remove from oven and cut with a sharp knife and use a spatula to remove from the pan.