Sweet Potato Lasagna Mash

Love a good, saucy, cheesy lasagna, but steering clear of dairy or pasta?  I gotcha covered.

Today’s Sweet Potato Lasagna Mash is a fun twist on an old classic.  Sweet potatoes serve as the “noodles”, Field Roast Sausage serves as the (plant-based) meat, and Kite Hill Ricotta (an almond-based cheese) serves as a nice change from the usual dairy alternative.  It’s a whole food, plant-based, flavor-packed dish that will feed your bellies and then some.  Great for leftovers and perfect for a cold, rainy day.  It may not be as pretty as lasagna, hence the “mash”, but it’s gosh darn tasty!

SWEET POTATO LASAGNA MASH

Recipe by Jentry Lee Hull

Adapted from Simple Daily Recipes and The Minimalist Baker

Yields 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

MARINARA SAUCE

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 Lb. mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 24oz jar bionaturæ® Organic Strained Tomatoes (available at Whole Foods)
• 1 15oz can organic diced tomatoes no salt added (I used Whole Foods 365 Brand)
• 2 Tbsp. organic tomato paste
• 1 cup water or broth
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• splash of red wine, optional
• 1 tsp. pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp. oregano
• pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

LASAGNA

• 2 large or 4 small organic sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (use a mandolin or designated blade on a spiralizer*)
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini thinly sliced
• 2 large handfuls fresh or frozen greens (kale, spinach, chard, collards)
• 1 Field Roast Italian Sausage crumbled, optional
• 1 container Kite Hill Ricotta, reserve ¼ cup for garnishing/topping

DIRECTIONS

MARINARA SAUCE

• In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté onion. Use a splash of water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking.
• Add mushrooms and cook until tender.
• Incorporate garlic, reduce heat to medium and cook for another minute.
• Stir in remaining ingredients, including spices and seasonings.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

LASAGNA

• Pressure Cooker Method (See notes, regarding pressure cooker)
  • In a pressure cooker pot, pour in marinara sauce to line bottom of pot.
  • Add an even, single layer of sliced sweet potatoes followed by a layer of greens, a layer of sliced bell pepper, a layer of zucchini, crumbled Field Roast Sausage, crumbled Kite Hill Ricotta, topped with a layer of sauce.
  • Reserve ¼ cup of ricotta for garnishing.
  • Repeat until the pot is filled with 2 inches left of space at the top (do not exceed designated Max Fill line).
  • Cover, seal vent, set to manual, set time to 15 minutes and let cook.
  • Once cooked, let pressure release automatically and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Oven Method
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • In a large, deep baking dish (9X13 inch), pour marinara sauce to cover the bottom.
  • Add an even, single layer of sliced sweet potatoes followed by a layer of greens, a layer of sliced bell pepper, a layer of zucchini, crumbled Field Roast Sausage, crumbled Kite Hill Ricotta, topped with a layer of sauce.
  • Reserve ¼ cup of ricotta for garnishing.
  • Repeat until the pan is filled with 2 inches left of space at the top.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
  • Remove foil cover, increase heat to 400 degrees F and bake for another 5 or so minutes.
  • Remove from heat and serve.

NOTES

• I recommend cooking your marinara sauce ahead of time. Store in an air tight container in the fridge, then when you’re ready to make your lasagna, the hard part is out of your way!
• For this recipe, I used a pressure cooker. It’s like a magical time machine!  Instead of taking an hour in the oven, this lasagna took under 20 minutes in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.  I am not expecting you all to have this amazing kitchen gadget on hand and I certainly don’t expect you all to run out and buy one today.  But, if you do, I promise you wont regret it.
• If you are using your oven for this recipe, it’s important to use a deep enough dish so that your ingredients won’t bubble over.  A deep 9×13 in. pan should work.  You can also place a cookie sheet on the rack beneath the lasagna just to be safe.

Thrive on,

Coach Jentry

Gumsaba Outdoor Fitness Class schedule Thursday 1/28/16

5:30AM Sunrise Danville Womens only class – Coach Briana – Circuit WORK.

5:30AM Sunrise Danville Mens only class – Coach Joel –  Circuit WORK.

6AM Sunup Moraga Co-Ed class – Coach James – HIIT Thursday

6AM Sunup Lafayette Co-Ed class – Coach Jentry – HIIT Thursday

8:15AM Sunshine Moraga Womens only Class – Coach James – Circuit WORK.

9AM Sunshine Walnut Creek Womens class – Coach Briana – Circuit WORK.

11:00AM Cytosport Advanced Boot Camp – Coach Briana (private class)

12:00PM Cytosport Vinyasa Flow Yoga – Coach Jentry (private class)