As I have previously mentioned in other posts, we have several allergies in my group of friends. however- that NEVER stops me from cooking them a delicious meal! It's actually a really fun challenge. Trying to re-create the same amazing flavors and consistencies but using alternative choices for dairy, wheat, and gluten. This recipe was definitely a winner. You would never know that this lasagna was anything other than normal! (well it's better than normal- because it was fantastic!)
Anyways, I found the inspiration and guidance for this recipe from Heather Christo. Her blog is fantastic for allergy free ideas, and clean eating in general. I was unable to find the almond ricotta in her recipe, so I substituted for cashew ricotta which worked perfectly! So here we go!
***The cashew ricotta requires that you soak the cashews for 2-3 hours. Make sure to allow enough time for that or you will be stuck!***
Ingredients not listed below:
2 boxes (9oz) Gluten-free lasagna noodles
1/2 jar Classico pasta sauce (in addition to the one below)
First I made a "meat sauce" and let it simmer while I prepared everything else.
Meat Sauce:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground sausage
1 medium onion (diced)
1-2 carrots (diced)
1/2 bell pepper or several mini sweet peppers (chopped or diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 jar Classico pasta sauce (yes I cheated and used store bought to save time. the above blog link has a recipe for a homemade sauce, but this worked just as well in my opinion)
*Most Classico sauces are gluten free and allergy friendly- just check your label*
- Start by sauteing the vegetables until they are soft (about 5 minutes) then add in the beef and sausage. Break up the meat while cooking so that it crumbles. Cook until browned. (you may drain the meat, however I left it because the extra liquid actually helps keep the lasagna moist and soft while cooking)
- Once the meat is browned, pour in the jar of sauce and stir until combined. Let simmer on the lowest setting- stirring occasionally- until you are ready to assemble lasagna.
Next I would suggest starting the water for your lasagna noodles. You are going to use two boxes of noodles, and they are rather large, so you will need a big "spaghetti pot". Fill almost to the top with water, add salt and begin to heat up to a boil. (This will take a while since the pot is large)
Next came the cashew ricotta- I know it sounds crazy, but it's surprisingly good and is a perfect alternative for those who can not have dairy.
Cashew Ricotta:
1 1/2- 2 cups cashews (soaked for 2-3 hours in water. Place in bowl and cover with water about 1-2 inches over nuts)
1/4 cup garbanzo juice (I just opened a can of garbanzo beans and drained 1/4 cup juice, then made hummus out of the rest later)
1/2 cup water
10 oz Spinach (chopped, frozen (thawed) works best. Once thawed squeeze well to get out as much liquid as you can.
2 tsp Garlic salt ( more or less to taste)
juice from 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- Drain cashews and place in food processor. Add all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the spinach to the cashews.
- Blend/process on high until it reaches a smooth "hummus like" consistency. It will still be slightly textured, but will be a paste.
- Place squeezed spinach in medium sized bowl and add cashew paste to it. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Whenever your water starts to boil, add in the lasagna noodles. I used two boxes of gluten free- brown rice flour- lasagna noodles. I easily found them at Fresh Market. Cook noodles until they are al dente. I strongly suggest leaving a little water in the pan when you start to work with the noodles, because by the time I got to the last noodles in the pot they were all stuck together and I have to get very creative with pulling them apart and placing my noodles in the dish.
So now that the meat is cooked, the ricotta is created, and the noodles are noodley, let's put together some lasagna.
- First Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Next get a 9x13 glass baking dish and coat the bottom with a generous layer of regular sauce
- Place a layer of noodles on the sauce (I laid mine in three rows long ways (6 noodles), but it really doesn't matter)
- On top of the noodles place a layer of meat sauce, and then another layer of noodles.
- Next place a layer of the spinach-cashew ricotta. (this is the only layer of this so use as much as you want) Top with another layer of noodles.
- Repeat with a second layer of meat sauce (go ahead and use the rest). Top with the remaining noodles.
- Finish it off by covering the top layer of noodles with more regular sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
ENJOY!
We served the lasagna with tossed salad (olive garden style) and garlic toast (for those who could have the wheat/gluten)
