I love the kind of meals where the
leftovers taste just as good as the dish the night it was cooked. Well, lasagna
is the perfect meal from which to achieve these perfect leftovers. Recently,
I've been experimenting with different kinds of Lasagnas to try to make
them healthier and more nutritious than the regular Italian version.
My mom
became gluten-free a year and a half ago, and she came up with the idea of
using corn tortillas instead of noodles. I love making Mexican Lasagna this
way. Check out my recipe for that here.
I decided
I wanted a carb-free layer in addition to the corn tortillas this time,
and thought thin slices of zucchini would be perfect. After you
thinly slice the zucchini, lay it on a paper towel and sprinkle
it with salt to make sure you get out most of the liquid. Zucchini contains
a lot of water so if you skip this step, your lasagna might be a little
soggy.
The sauce
for this lasagna is by far the best part of the whole dish. It's made by
roasting sweet potatoes and pureeing them with milk and chicken stock. The result
is a velvet-y smooth sauce that accompanies the ground turkey and onion mixture
PERFECTLY.
Sweet
potatoes contain beta carotene which is an antioxidant that gives the potatoes
their bright orange color. Beta-Carotene is said to prevent many different
types of cancer. Sweet potatoes also contain Vitamin A which helps promote
healthy eyesight as well as healthy skin and hair. Lastly, sweet potatoes are e
a great source of potassium which helps lower blood pressure.
Ingredients:
2 sweet
potatoes diced
8 corn
tortillas
1 onion-
diced
3 cloves
garlic- grated
1 lb.
ground turkey
1.5 cups
chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 zucchinis- thinly
sliced, salted and patted dry. (read above directions)
1 cup
part-skim ricotta
1 egg
2 cups
spinach
1 cup
shredded mozzarella
1 tbsp.
olive oil
salt/pepper
to taste
1/8 tsp.
red pepper flakes
Directions:
1) Preheat
oven to 425 degrees
2) Peel
and dice the sweet potatoes and roast them for 25-35 minutes or until tender
3) Reduce
oven temperature to 375 degrees.
4) Add
sweet potatoes to a food processor with salt/pepper, chicken stock and milk and
puree until a silky smooth sauce appears. (Add more liquid if necessary)
5)
Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium high heat
6) Add
onion and cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized
7) Add
ground turkey and heat until totally cooked through
8) Add
garlic to turkey mixture with the red pepper flakes and more salt/pepper to
taste. Mix around and taste for seasoning. Add more spices, if necessary.
9) Mix
ricotta in a small bowl with the egg until completely incorporated
10) Spray
a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray
11) Pour
1/4 cup cold water on the bottom of the pan so the tortillas do not burn
12) To
start building your lasagna, add corn tortillas to the bottom, top with half of
the turkey mixture, and 1/3 of the sweet potato puree.
Place zucchini strips on top and then add the ricotta mixture.
Top ricotta mixture with the raw spinach leaves. Add the rest of the turkey
mixture and more of the sweet potato purees. Line the top with the 4 remaining
corn tortillas and pour the remainder of the sweet potato puree on top.
12) Cover
the lasagna with foil and cook for 30 minutes
13) Remove
from oven and top with grated mozzarella cheese. Cook for additional 10
minutes uncovered.
14) Remove
from oven and let sit for 20 minutes prior to eating so the lasagna stays
together when you cut into it.
