Enchilada Lasagna

Enchilada Lasagna

(Whole 30 Compliant)

This is a spin on the traditional Italian lasagna that veers way over to the land of healthy.  I used zucchini to make the noodles and then flavor with Mexican flavorings like you might find in an enchilada. Here’s how:

Ingredients:

For the noodles:

4 zucchini sliced lengthwise into 1/8″ thick sheets (you can also do this on a mandolin)

avocado oil

salt

pepper

For the filling:

2 precooked sweet potatoes with the skins removed and the filling mashed*

Oil (really anything should be fine)

1 lb. ground turkey meat

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon coriander

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon crushed chipotle peppers

For the sauce:

Avocado oil

1 white onion, 1/2 inch dice

2 whole cloves garlic

1 red pepper, 1/2 inch dice

2 cups tomatoes (1 15oz jar)

1 jar of tomato paste (7oz.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

Juice from half a lime (optional)

Directions:

For the noodles:

Preheat oven to 400*F. Brush both sides of the zucchini with the oil and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 15-20 minutes so the zucchini is pliable like a noodle.  Set the noodles aside and lower the oven to 350*F.

For the filling:

Place the sweet potato mash into a bowl and set aside.

Heat about a tablespoon of the oil in a saute pan.  Add the turkey and a pinch of salt and start cooking.  While it’s cooking, try to keep breaking it up with a wooden spoon so you don’t get “clumps” of meat.

Make a paste out of the spices by combining them all together and adding a splash of water.  Stir together and make a paste.  Add the paste to the meat once it’s all cooked through and stir together so the meat is completely saturated in the spice mixture. Remove the meat to the bowl with the sweet potatoes and mix everything together evenly.

For the sauce:

Heat the oil in a large saute pan and sweat the onion, garlic and red pepper with a pinch of salt. Continue to cook the vegetables until they are caramelized (everything is uniformly browned).  Deglaze the pan, by adding the tomatoes and tomato paste and stirring up the brown bits from the bottom into the sauce with a wooden spoon.  Add the salt, cumin and coriander at this time.

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer the sauce until everything is soft.

Pour the sauce into a Vitamix (or other high powered blender) and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if desired.  This is where you can add the lime juice if you like.

To assemble:

Place a layer of sauce on the bottom of an 8×8 square baking dish. Layer with zucchini noodles facing vertically in a single layer.  Top with the turkey and sweet potato mixture. Top with the sauce.

Layer with zuchhini noodles over the sauce facing horizontally this time in a single layer.  Top with the turkey and sweet potato mixture. Top with the sauce.

Continue with this pattern until you hit the top of the pan. Finish with a layer of the sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 350*F.

Slice and eat hot!

*To cook the sweet potatoes if they are not already cooked, you can either wrap them in foil and bake at 425*F for 1 hour. Or you can microwave them for 6 minutes.  Make sure you puncture the skin with a fork before you cook them.