The Hands of Thyme

PALEO | GAPS DIET | GF | DF SERVES 4

This totally pasta and dairy-free lasagne is certainly not lacking anything in the flavor department. If anything I reckon this tastes better than a traditional lasagne because the extra vegetables ad far more to the flavor than plain pasta sheets would have. Instead of pasta, I’ve used sliced eggplant to create the lasagne layers along with some sliced tomatoes and a little courgette. Adding the veggies costs a little more than using pasta but then you won’t need to serve this dish with any vegetables on the side and so it works out pretty much the same in the end. Instead of cheese, I’ve used a little dairy-free cheese as well as nutritional yeast to give the sauce a nice cheesy flavor that you won’t believe is dairy free (holistic cooking tip).

I recommend buying organic grass-fed mince if you can – to learn about the benefits of eating grass-fed meat check out my Superfood Bible.

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

550g prime beef mince

1 can chopped tomatoes

3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1 brown onion (finely chopped)

A dash of extra virgin olive oil

A pinch of salt & pepper

Fresh oregano or thyme (optional)

No Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup gluten-free flour or almond flour for GAPS

1 1/2 cups of almond milk

1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast

3/4 cup of grated dairy-free cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Vegetables

2 tomatoes or a handful of cherry tomatoes

1 eggplant

1 small courgette

+ A slightly greased baking dish

Method

1. First, preheat your oven to 180°C or 356°F. Then in a large pot, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until the onions become translucent. Add the mince and cook until it is browned on all sides (about 5-10 minutes).
2. Add the canned tomatoes and keep cooking this for a further 15 minutes on medium to low heat, stirring occasionally. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. In another pot heat the almond milk on medium heat and then turn it down to low as soon as it starts to simmer. Add the gluten-free flour and stir with a whisk straight away until all of the lumps are gone. If you don’t have a fork will do. Then add the nutritional yeast, stir until smooth, and then turn off the heat and add the grated dairy-free cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted.
4. Moving back to your meat sauce, if you are using fresh herbs you can chop them slightly and stir them into your sauce now. Season with a little salt to taste ( a generous pinch should be good depending on how salty your cheese is).
5. Thinly slice your vegetables and use them to create layers where you would have put pasta sheets. I like to do the first layer all eggplant, then a layer of tomatoes, eggplant again, and courgette, and however I do it it’s nice to finish with eggplant on the top. To build your lasagne after each layer of vegetables pour some of the meat sauce and then some of the cheese sauce on top and finish with a little cheese sauce only on the top and a sprinkling of chopped herbs if you are using them.
6. Place your lasagne in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes until it is turning golden on top but not going too dark. Cut into quarters with a sharp knife and serve up by carefully spooning onto plates with a large serving spoon or a fish slice.

FOLLOW THE HANDS OF THYME 🌿