Yes, you read that title correctly. There are no noodles in this lasagna. That's because my husband and I (yes, this carb-aholic has finally joined him), are on the Keto Diet. I'm on day six and it isn't easy but it is becoming a little more tolerable as each day passes. And it does help to have a partner in crime for meal planning and motivational purposes.
The point of this post is not to push this diet on anyone (I wish I wasn't on it!). I am simply sharing this recipe because it was just.that.good. I mean, I never thought it would be possible to make a lasagna without noodles, much less one that actually tastes delicious! It was hearty, flavorful and so easy to make.
Since starting this diet, we've been scouring Pinterest for keto-friendly recipes and I found this one which sounded and looked very tasty.
The recipe called for kale, Italian sausage, pasta sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses layered together. Easy enough. I was telling my husband about it and he asked, "But then what are the "noodles"?" I told him that I guessed the shredded cheese just holds everything together. Then he came up with a genius idea (okay, I'm biased and starved for carbs but seriously it was a good one). Instead of shredded mozzarella, we could substitute round cuts of provolone cheese. Provolone doesn't get all gooey and fall apart when it melts and has a springier consistency, sort of like a noodle itself!
Because my husband can't stop there with putting his own stamp on recipes, he also took what called for plain, low-sugar pasta sauce and upped the ante and flavor quotient by a TON but adding crushed pomodoro tomatoes and Greek seasoning to the store bought sauce.
Not to be outdone, I too added my own twist on the original recipe which called for two medium bunches of kale that you had to cut off the stalks and then boil down to soften. Call it efficient or call it lazy, but I purchased a large bag of pre-chopped, pre-washed kale. Instead of boiling it down, my husband (here again with another one of his good ideas!) just layered the smaller pieces of raw kale underneath a layer of the hot sausage and sauce mixture which wilted the kale perfectly during the baking time. So we never had to boil it down and drain the kale. Score another one for Team Jones by skipping a step and saving dirtying another dish!
The lasagna that resulted so far exceeded both of our expectations! I would absolutely eat this any night of the week, carb-free diet or not!
Sausage and Kale Noodle-less Lasagna
What You Need:
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 large bag of chopped, pre-washed kale
1 large jar of pasta sauce (use low sugar if you are going carb free)
1 can of crushed pomodoro tomatoes
12 slices (regular sliced, not the thin sliced ones) provolone cheese
1 tsp salt-free Cavender's Greek Seasoning
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
What You Do:
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9″ x 12″ casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.
Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan, cook sausage over medium-high heat until it is cooked through and nicely browned, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When the sausage is done, add the pasta sauce, tomatoes, basil and Greek seasoning. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer 20-25 minutes, or until it’s thickened and the liquid is reduced. Season generously with salt and pepper.
In the casserole dish, layer 1/2 the kale, 1/2 the sauce with sausage, 6 slices of Provolone, and half of the Parmesan. Repeat with another layer of kale, sauce, Provolone and Parmesan.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until the "lasagna" is bubbling and cheese is starting to brown.
Remove from heat and let it stand and cool for about five minutes before serving.
Let me just tell you from experience, this only gets better the next day when you (inevitably) eat it again for leftovers. And, I haven't tried it yet (because I'm not sure there will be any left), but according to the author of the original recipe, it freezes beautifully (cue Steel Magnolias).
Enjoy! xo, Cameron
Are you suffering through low-cab eating as well? Try this delicious Butter Chicken Recipe.
Interested in other recipes? View all of Adorned Abode's previous recipes here.
