Lasagna without noodles

[Bluerocket]

A friend gave me this recipe - thought I would share it with you.

This is a noodle-less lasagna recipe. I am sure you can substitute the meat of your choice.
1 medium to large head of cabbage

1 bag "Baby" spinach (well - hmm maybe not today prepackaged with the ecoli breakout - but your local farmer's market might have some)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 -5 cloves garlic (depeding on your taste)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 egg (optional - see note in recipe)

1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot and can be turkey sausage)

2 6oz cans tomato paste

2 8oz cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Wash cabbage and remove the tough outer leaves. Cut the head in half and place cut side down in a pan with about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water and cover with plastic wrap, microwave until tender (about 5 minutes more or less per your microwave). Separate the leaves and set aside. You will use these and the spinach as your "noodles".

Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic, onion and peppers until the onion is translucent. Add the meat and brown thoroughly. Drain the meat mxture. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce and oregano to the mixture and combine well (I also add a little red wine and cook it a little longer).

Coat a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking plan with a little olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a lawer of cabbage leaves (I cut out the big vein in the leaves) and then a layer of UNCOOKED spinach. Top with half the meat mixture. Add 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/2 of the ricotta (or cottage cheese). Add another layer of cabbage and spinach and top with the remaining meat mixture. Add 1/3 mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 of the ricotta, top with last 1/3 mozzarella and scatter the Parmesan on top. (I mix all the cheeses together and add an egg to hold it together and then put 1/2 on the first layer and 1/2 on the 2nd layer and top with a little extra Parmesan - you can never have enough cheese!!)

Bake, covered for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.

I am told the spinach is not required, but it does make a major difference in taste. Perhaps your local farmer's market would have fresh spinach.

 

[jayne]

That sounds wonderful. I'll have to try it.

I have an abundance of zucchini and patty pan squash and was wondering if I cut them into thin slices if I could use THAT in place of noodles. They tend to weep a little when they're cooked, so I'd have to take that into consideration. But ANYTHING to help use up these squash would be wonderful! Hey I think I'll start a new thread!!

Jayne

 

[Bluerocket]

That might just work - I think I would maybe pan fry the squash/zucchini - cutting them in long thin strips and trying to get some of the water out of them - first..

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I was actually thinking yesterday of making soup with chicken, cream of mushroom soup, yellow squash and maybe some wild rice - and MAYBE adding in some cauliflower too (I would cook the squash and cauliflower up first so they would be very limp) I have not done it yet because I was trying to imagine which herbs I would use to season it - I would probably service it with grated mild cheddar or maybe sharp cheddar as a garnish.

What do you think about that? Does it sound appetising to you? I figured one crockpot would not be too bad to make to see if it worked or not.

Any suggestions on herbs?

JJay

 

[whitney]

Thats a low carb receipe. Are you locarbing?

 

[Bluerocket]

yes and no - more the South Beach than Atkins

Did really well on the Atkins but could not do it indefinitely -- so modified it and it no longer worked via my modifications --- now going to try South Beach version.

is that what you meant?

JJ

 

[whitney]

I've been locarbing for about 2 1/2 years now. I will never eat any other way.

They now have a lo carb lasagna noodle from Dream Fields. You HONESTLY can't taste the difference.