Paleo Gluten Free Lasagna with Cabbage Leaves
I have been experimenting with a Paleo gluten free lasagna. At first I just tried gluten free, but acid reflux does not care if the noodles have gluten or not. Any grain, cereal, or seed seems to set it off, so I have to replace noodles with something else.
BH does not like zucchini or eggplant, two traditional replacements for noodles in lasagna. I decided to try cabbage. This actually works out rather well, though the result is hard to cut with just a fork due to the fiber in the cabbage leaves. This otherwise worked out well. BH liked it too!
I take the leaves off the cabbage, cook them, cut them into approximately lasagna noodle size, and pat them dry with a towel before making the lasagna.
Ingredients
Separator
- 1 medium head of cabbage
Meat mixture
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Sauce
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup red wine (or water if you prefer)
Cheese
- 5 ounces grated Romano
- 12 ounces shredded Mozzarella
- 15 ounces Ricotta
Instructions
- Separate out the leaves of the cabbage, cutting out the core as you go. Cut the leaves into large pieces that lie mostly flat (about lasagna noodle width or a bit wider). Bring a big pot of water to boil. Add some cabbage leaves. Return to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Remove the cabbage leaves and put in cold water. Repeat until all the cabbage leaves are cooked. Drain the cabbage leaves and pat dry.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain off all fat and set beef aside. Melt butter in the skillet. Saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the butter until onion is translucent and any water is cooked off. Mix the beef back into the veggies.
- Put all the sauce ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk, immersion blend, or use a hand mixer to blend all sauce ingredients together. Stir the sauce into the meat mixture. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat.
- Mix the ricotta cheese with the mozzarella cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom of a 13x9 pan (or larger). Make 2 layers of cabbage leaves on the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 meat/sauce mix on top. Add 1/3 of the ricotta mix and sprinkle with 1/3 the Romano cheese. Repeat cabbage, meat sauce, and cheeses for 2 more layers, using up all the ingredients. I like to press the layer flat just after adding the cabbage leaves.
- Put a cookie sheet in the oven and put the pan of lasagna on top of it. Bake for 30 minutes until you see sauce bubbling up around the edges. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut in 8 pieces and use a broad flat spatula to remove from the pan.
Notes
Make this a day ahead. This tastes A LOT better day 2 when all the flavors have blended. (It's good day 1, it's excellent day 2.) This freezes well. I like to freeze individual portions. If you really want other food (this is very rich) I'd serve with a small salad.
Nutrition Facts
Paleo Gluten Free Lasagna with Cabbage Leaves
Serves: 8
Amount Per Serving: 1/8th pan
|
||
---|---|---|
Calories | ||
% Daily Value* | ||
Total Fat 30 | 46.2% | |
Saturated Fat | 0 | |
Trans Fat | ||
Cholesterol | 0 | |
Sodium | 0 | |
Total Carbohydrate 9.5 | 3% | |
Dietary Fiber 5.5 | 20% | |
Sugars | ||
Protein 42 |
Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
Calcium | Iron |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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