Meat Lovers' Lasagna
After a really long stretch (3 weeks, which is super long in "DJ Years") of super clean eating, including zero grains, no dairy and no Frankenfoods, I celebrated with a gigantic bowl of Pasta à la Stuff in DJ's Fridge. This divine bowl of yum was FILLED with cream and pasta. It was everything I could ever want in an overflowing bowl of chow and more!
Then ... the next day ... the "more" part of that equation hit me. WOAH!
Having been eating so clean, I think my body simply didn't know how to handle all the wheat, whether it be shrouded in a fiber matrix, or not! I don't want to put grotesque images in your mind. Nothing like that occurred, but what I experienced was nothing short of a brief bout of lunacy and befuddling indecision. The next morning, I awoke with a splitting headache, not unlike that of a horrendous hangover. Added to that was a sense of deep fog, a little sadness, enormous confusion and overwhelming hunger. This was the kind of hunger that had no end. Oh ... I was in trouble!
This isn't a "Dreamfield's Pasta will make you crazy" recipe. That stuff is absolutely delicious and filled a necessary void in my life, at one time. I believe it has its place in the world. However, years later, as I lose weight, gain health and learn more ... I continue experimenting; trying to clean and refine the foods I eat.
This recipe still has a lot of dairy, but it is also completely wheat free. Sheets of lasagna would definitely work within this recipe, but ... so did my crepes! In fact, as I was eating this, and sharing it with friends, I asked them if they felt like they were eating something OTHER than lasagna. NONE of them batted a lash. It was lasagna, in every way they know.
I agreed. It was SOOOO GOOD, TOO!
Chicken Note: It's my understanding that you can buy scaloppini style chicken breasts in many supermarkets. I'm in the habit of slicing and pounding my own. If you can't find it at the store, you can ask the butcher, or pound your own. To do this, cut a chicken breast in half, as if you're butterflying it. Cut it all of the way through. Then place each half between two pieces of saran wrap and whack at it with a meat mallet, the back of your knife, or the bottom of a pan. You want to pound it thinner and wider, until it's about 1/4-inch thick.
Then ... the next day ... the "more" part of that equation hit me. WOAH!
Having been eating so clean, I think my body simply didn't know how to handle all the wheat, whether it be shrouded in a fiber matrix, or not! I don't want to put grotesque images in your mind. Nothing like that occurred, but what I experienced was nothing short of a brief bout of lunacy and befuddling indecision. The next morning, I awoke with a splitting headache, not unlike that of a horrendous hangover. Added to that was a sense of deep fog, a little sadness, enormous confusion and overwhelming hunger. This was the kind of hunger that had no end. Oh ... I was in trouble!
This isn't a "Dreamfield's Pasta will make you crazy" recipe. That stuff is absolutely delicious and filled a necessary void in my life, at one time. I believe it has its place in the world. However, years later, as I lose weight, gain health and learn more ... I continue experimenting; trying to clean and refine the foods I eat.
This recipe still has a lot of dairy, but it is also completely wheat free. Sheets of lasagna would definitely work within this recipe, but ... so did my crepes! In fact, as I was eating this, and sharing it with friends, I asked them if they felt like they were eating something OTHER than lasagna. NONE of them batted a lash. It was lasagna, in every way they know.
I agreed. It was SOOOO GOOD, TOO!
Chicken Note: It's my understanding that you can buy scaloppini style chicken breasts in many supermarkets. I'm in the habit of slicing and pounding my own. If you can't find it at the store, you can ask the butcher, or pound your own. To do this, cut a chicken breast in half, as if you're butterflying it. Cut it all of the way through. Then place each half between two pieces of saran wrap and whack at it with a meat mallet, the back of your knife, or the bottom of a pan. You want to pound it thinner and wider, until it's about 1/4-inch thick.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 797.80916666667kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts scaloppini style
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb raw italian sausage
- 1 26-oz jar low carb pasta sauce
- 3 cups parmesan cheese grated and divided into 2 parts
- 1 cup ricotta cheese whole milk
- 2 large whole eggs
- 2 lb whole milk low-moisture mozzarella grated
- 15 each all purpose ricotta crepes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
- Season your thinly sliced chicken with salt and pepper, then coat with olive oil.
- Pre-heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Once it is hot, add your chicken pieces, in one layer (may need to do in 2 or 3 batches). Cook for about 90 seconds on one side, then flip and cook the other side until the chicken is cooked. Remove it and set aside.
- When all the chicken is cooked, add your ground beef to the pan and brown it with a little salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Next, sauté the Italian sausage. If it's in a casing, cut one end of each sausage, then squeeze the sausage out of its casing. Break the meat up in the pan. The fat from the meat should be enough to keep it from sticking. When it is cooked, set it aside.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs and half of the grated parmesan. Mix, then divide into 4 rough sections in the bowl.
- Spray the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch pan. Add a small amount of sauce to the bottom of the pan.
- Place 3 crepes on the bottom of the pan.
- Evenly spread one-quarter of the sauce mixture over the crepes.
- Evenly spread your ground beef over the sauce.
- Evenly spread one-quarter of the ricotta mixture over the beef.
- Evenly spread one-quarter of the shredded mozzarella over the ricotta mixture.
- Place 3 more lasagna noodles above the mozzarella.
- Repeat these steps, layering the lasagna, next with the chicken and then the Italian sausage, until all the crepes have been used.
- On top of the final 3 crepes, spread the remainder of the sauce, ricotta mixture, the rest of the mozzarella and finally, the remainder of the grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 350° F for about an hour, or until cooked through and nice and browned on the top.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 20 minutes, prior to slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 12g | Calories: 797.80916666667kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 57.755833333333g | Fat: 55.666666666667g | Fiber: 1g