LOW CARB Maria Emmerich’s Protein “Noodle” Lasagna recipe

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/04/maria-emmerichs-protein-noodle-lasagna-recipe/

Maria Emmerich’s Protein “Noodle” Lasagna recipe

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Dr. Davis

If you haven’t already stumbled on the fabulous recipes (and photography) of Maria Emmerich, well, then . . . you should!

Maria “gets” it: She understands the wheat-free concepts, yet doesn’t make the common blunder made by so many others: incorporating gluten-free junk. So she also develops methods to recreate familiar dishes using 1) no wheat, 2) little to no sugar, and 3) otherwise healthy ingredients.

Here’s a recipe from her recent book, The Art of Healthy Eating – Savory:

Protein “Noodle” Lasagna

1 pound Italian sausage
¾ lb grass fed ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar no sugar marinara sauce
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
Thinly sliced nitrite free deli Chicken Breast (“Protein Noodle”)
¾ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ c. Parmesan cheese
Optional: 1/4 cup pesto

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in marinara sauce.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, and 1/2 tsp salt.

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Arrange chicken breast slices over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. (Add optional pesto layer before final cheese layer)

Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per cup):
Traditional Wheat Noodles = 246 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein, 43g carbs, 5g fiber (38g effective carbs)
“Healthified” Noodles = 84 calories, 1g fat, 20g protein, 2g carb, 0g fiber (2g effective carbs)