Hi friends,
So as you have probably noticed the meal planning/ educational website is taking longer to get up than originally anticipated! It is quite the undertaking, but I hope you will stick with us as we work behind the scenes because it is going to be SUCH a resource!!! Anyway, in the meantime, I have something I want to share … a tried and true Dr. Brown approved recipe for a family favorite, “Zucchini Lasagna!”
I haven’t gotten to introduce my right hand lady yet {aka my nanny/family assistant}… Celia! I know I will probably dedicate a whole post to her at some point because 1. she’s awesome and 2. she has quite the testimony to share about her experience with Dr. Brown and his diet. But for right now, I bring up her name because she is the one to thank for coming up with this amazing dish. So without further adieu… here it is:
Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs grassfed ground beef
- 3 mild Italian chicken sausage links (remove casing prior to cooking)
- 1 pkg organic frozen spinach
- 1 15 oz can/jar diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can/jar tomato sauce
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 TBS pasture butter
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp fennel
- 1 tsp oregano
- 5 medium zucchinis
- 1 ½ cups of Dr. Brown Diet approved cheese (we like to use equal parts of Manchego, Lamb Chopper, and Parmesan Reggiano from raw Jersey or Guernsey cow’s milk*)
- Raw sea salt and pepper to taste
*omit if cow dairy allergy present
Instructions:
Start by heating the butter in a large stock pan on medium heat, and add chopped onions. Once onions start to caramelize (about 5 minutes), add garlic and cook for another minute. Add beef and chicken sausage to pan, and brown (about 10 minutes). Once meat is browned, stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, spinach, and seasonings. Turn heat to low and let simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish. Wash and prepare zucchini. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin even slices or use mandolin. Chop cheese very small or use a food processor to make the it the size and shape of the ricotta cheese in traditional lasagna. The meat mixture and cheese can be prepped a day ahead of time like we did for quicker and easier assembly.
Add ingredients to a 13X9 in pan in layers as follows: meat mixture, zucchini, cheese, meat mixture, zucchini, meat mixture, and then top with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 min. Uncover and bake another 10-15 min until top layer of cheese is golden and browned.
Salt and pepper to taste. Let cool 5 min. Serve and enjoy!
You can see my kiddos did … to the point where poor Brooks FREAKED when he dropped his fork and couldn’t put another bite in his mouth, which you can see below! 😉
And sweet Everett actually finished his off before the dog got ahold of it like he usually does when we sit outside!
This was our third time having this particular dish and it is definitely safe to say that it is a family favorite at this point! If you would like a printer friendly version, click here –> Zucchini Lasagna Recipe. Please try it out and let us know what you think in the comments or on our Facebook Page!!
