Grain Free Lasagna
Watching carbs can be quite a downer, whether it is for medical reasons or because you are trying to lose weight. Once you have something that you cannot or should not eat, you can think of nothing you want more.
Lasagna is one of my favorite foods. It’s easy to make, easy to reheat and everyone seems to like it. The Italian part of my family comes from Northern Italy, so our family recipe is made with rich Bolognese and a decadent Bechamel. I absolutely love it.
Traditional lasagna noodles are simple carbohydrate bombs, packing nearly 60 grams of carbohydrates per serving. That is over 20 grams more than a can of Coke! In my quest to reduce the glycemic index of lasagna, I came across these Palmini Hearts of Palm Lasagna Noodles. They are literally just slices of palm hearts with only 4 grams of carbohydrates and 20 calories per serving. (The package says it contains 3 servings, but it made a whole pan of lasagna for me, so it is even less than that!)
The texture when you open them is a little bit weird – sort of like dill pickle slices, but once the lasagna cooks, you will not notice or taste them at all. My husband did not once wrinkle his nose or ask me what I had put in the lasagna, so that was a win!
I bought mine on Amazon, but I think you can get them in larger grocery stores and also at Walmart. (Side note, I also got the Palmini Mashed, which is supposed to taste like mashed potatoes, but no. Just no. I tried to feed the leftovers to our Sloughis and they ran away from me. Do not recommend.)
The other thing I tried this evening was a coconut flour bread. I have been under the weather all weekend with some virus and I really wanted comfort food. The bread recipe needs some tweaking, but it was passable and I will say that after eating dinner, my blood sugar did not ever exceed 140, so both foods kept me under the carbohydrate ceiling.
This needs some work and I will try to come up with a recipe of my own to share with you.
I lightened this lasagna up by using ground turkey and part skim mozzarella, but you can substitute whatever meat and cheese you prefer without impacting the results. Sadly, I have not come up with a way to make Bechamel without flour, but I am working on it.
Pasta Free Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- I lb. ground turkey (you can use beef, pork, chicken or sausage if you prefer)
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tsp fennel (unless you are using sausage)
- 32 oz. Marinara sauce (home made, or from a jar if you are in a pinch)
- 16 oz. whole milk ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup parmesano-reggiano cheese, shredded, divided into 2-1/2 cup portions
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1-12 oz. package Palmini Hearts of Palm Lasagna Noodles
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven until it shimmers. Add onion, fennel and ground meat and cook until onions are tender and meat is cooked through. Drain, if desired.
- Add marinara to the Dutch oven and simmer for 15 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, rinse the Palmini noodles well in a colander under cold water and then allow them to drain and dry a bit.
- Place the ricotta, eggs, basil and 1/2 cup of parmesano-reggiano in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Ladle 1/3 of the meat sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 lasagna pan. Top with one layer of Palmini noodles. Top with 1/2 the ricotta mixture and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Repeat these layers. Add the final 1/3 of the meat sauce and then top with the last cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of parmesano-reggiano.
- Bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes or until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese on top is browning. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.
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