With Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday, many of my meat-loving friends are going to need some creative alternatives to Mac n’ Cheese and fish sticks on Fridays!
Well, have I got a meaty meatless dish for you!
Although lasagna has long been a favorite in my household, this was the first time I tried making it with Sweet Earth Enlightened Foods Awesome Grounds. Like Beyond Beef, Awesome Grounds uses pea protein, but is lower in fat (11 grams vs. 18 grams) and higher in fiber (4 grams vs. 2 grams) than Beyond Beef. While Beyond Beef is slightly higher in protein and has the advantage of being gluten-free, both products have a realistic reddish color when cooked that makes them look eerily similar in appearance to rare ground beef.
This is a simple, straightforward lasagna that doesn’t use a lot of extra veggies because I really wanted the meaty flavor to come through without distraction.
I made a hearty tomato-meat sauce in less than 15 minutes. Here is what the Awesome Grounds look like before I added the tomatoes.
Once I added heavy cream, the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and basil, I let my sauce cook for another 8 minutes and then spread it evenly over my uncooked, no-boil lasagna.
I supplemented my ricotta and egg mixture with some garlic chive chèvre, and used both fresh mozzarella balls and grated fresh mozzarella from my friend Zack at UAV.
The lasagna actually comes together pretty quickly, but it still takes about 45 minutes to cook – and then needs to rest another 10-15 minutes to cool so that it will hold together when you cut it into portions.
So, about 90 minutes from beginning to end – but oh so worth it! Serve it with some roasted Brussels Sprouts and you can satisfy your carnivore’s craving for meat on any Friday in Lent!
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (should be about 1 cup)
- 5 garlic cloves, pressed
- 12 ounces Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds
- ½ season salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes, drain off some of the tomato juice
- Several sprigs of fresh basil
- 8 ounces ricotta
- 8 ounces garlic chive chèvre
- 1 cup grated parmesan (divided use)
- Freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 9-12 no boil lasagna noodles (depending on how many layers you want)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated
- First make your hearty tomato "meat" sauce. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute. Add the Awesome Grounds (broken up with the wooden spoon into smaller pieces), salt, and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream and cook for about 3 minutes. then add the crushed tomatoes, the diced tomatoes, and the basil. Cook for another 3 minutes or so until the flavors are blended (remember, it will cook more in the oven), and turn off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while you make your lasagna filling and assemble.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, chèvre, ½ cup of parmesan, nutmeg, parsley, basil, egg, salt, and pepper. Make sure that it is well-blended and creamy so that it spreads easily.
- Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick spray or lightly coat with olive oil.
- Ladle a thin layer of tomato meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, and then top with three lasagna noodles.
- Spread a layer of the ricotta chèvre mixture, sprinkle with mozzarella, and some of the remaining parmesan, followed by a lawyer of sauce. Add another layer of lasagna noodles and repeat. (Depending on how thickly you spread your ricotta mixture and how generous you are with your sauce, you may be able to do one more layer or two.) Either way, end with a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by sauce. Don''t add the remaining mozz at this point. Just cover the pan with aluminum foil (preferably the non-stick kind) and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil, and add the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and let your lasagna bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the lasagna and let it cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before slicing into pieces.
All Rights Reserved
You must be logged in to post a comment.