Spicy Paleo Lasagna

Today I’m welcoming Angie from Simplicity in Bloom to the blog to share with you all her delicious, mouth-watering, Paleo Lasagna recipe! Thank you, Angie, for sharing this dairy-free and gluten-free lasagna with my readers! 

I love comfort foods and lasagna is one of the best!  It’s always filling, satisfying and is actually very easy to make.  One of my favorite things about lasagna is how many different ways it can be prepared.  Various types of meat, different levels of spice, even adding vegetables can change a tried-and-true comfort food into to a dish that is sure to please any family.

I usually prefer spicy food so I’m always looking for ways to add a little zing!  Recently I created a Paleo version of lasagna with lots of spice that I wanted to share.  No worries if spicy food isn’t for you – I’ve added notes in the recipe to tone it down for those with a milder palate.

This recipe uses zucchini in place of traditional lasagna noodles and does not use cheese.  My kids were a little skeptical when I told them about this particular version of lasagna but after the first bite, they were asking when we could have it again.  BIG WIN!!  Give this recipe a try.  You will be pleasantly surprised!

Spicy Paleo Lasagna Recipe

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 lbs ground Italian sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• (2) 14.5oz cans diced organic tomatoes (I used Fire Roasted for more zing)
• 6oz can tomato paste
• 24oz pasta sauce (I used a spicy variety)
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper – optional
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced slightly thicker than a lasagna noodle

DIRECTIONS:  

STEP ONE: Brown the meat in a large skillet.  Add the diced onions and garlic.  Once the meat is fully cooked, stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings.  Simmer uncovered for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened.  

STEP TWO: While the sauce is simmering, peel the zucchini and slice it length-wise.  Make each slice a little thicker than a lasagna noodle.  A mandoline slicer would work well for this.  I don’t have one so my slices were less than perfect.  As it turns out, it didn’t matter.  Still tasted great! 

STEP THREE: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease your favorite lasagna baking dish (I used a 9”x13” glass pan).  

STEP FOUR: To assemble, spread a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Add a layer of zucchini slices.  Spread 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the zucchini.  Repeat layers ending with meat sauce on top.  Mine had three layers of zucchini slices and four layers of sauce including the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

STEP FIVE: Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Just to prepare you – without noodles and a cheese mixture, this lasagna doesn’t maintain a neat stacked form.  It spreads out a bit on the plate.  That did not cause a bit of concern – we had 100% clean plates!  I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine did.  Simply yours!  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Angie is a wife, mother of three teenagers, proud owner of two spunky black labs, graphic designer, and blogger at Simplicity in Bloom.  She and her family enjoy an active lifestyle including sports, long walks with the dogs, and summer evenings in the backyard.

Because Angie feels that life has gotten too busy to appreciate “the here and now,” she is on a journey to find the simpler things.  She enjoys sharing the new ideas and experiences she encounters on her journey.  In her blog, Angie explores simplicity in many common areas: recipes, quick financial tips, thoughtful homemade gifts, home improvements, cleaning options, and using essential oils.  Look for simplicity on Angie’s blog, Facebook page, Pinterest page, Twitter, and Instagram.