I am in shock. Shock I tell you.
I’m shocked by how much my hubby is enjoying eating Paleo. Yes, we all know he loves meat. But he also loves a good potato or a big plate of rice. Veggies? Not so much. But, in the past few weeks, he has happily gobbled down vegetable mashes, lettuce wraps, cabbage salads, and, most recently, noodle-less lasagna (more on that soon).
I think he’s as surprised as I am that after a few weeks of eating mostly Paleo, he’s craving less chocolate and beer, feeling less hungry in the afternoon and less fatigue in the evenings. It’s a miracle! Or it’s science. The less sugar and carbs you eat, the less your body craves those foods. Duh.
I honestly thought we would last about three days on Paleo before Alasdair demanded to eat something “tasty” in the form of curry or a Chipotle burrito bowl (his Friday night standards). And, I won’t lie, I’m kinda dying to make this corn and crab spaghetti carbonara that I spied over at Tasting Table, but we’re holding strong. My plan was to eat 80% Paleo for, maybe, two weeks and then go back to our usual healthy-but-anything-goes-in-moderation type eating. But both of us are feeling so great and enjoying the food so much that we’re reluctant to stop. Don’t worry carbonara, I WILL come for you. Just not yet.
On that same note, I had planned on posting 1-2 Paleo recipes on this blog and I’m now on my third with a fourth in the works (think fruit cobbler, think maple coconut sauce…).
Before we get off the Paleo train (if we ever pull the stop cord), I just had to try out cashew cheese. As a dairy-loving/dairy-sensitive person, I am always looking for creamy cheesy sauce substitutes. I’ve done the white bean sauce, the tofu sauce, and, even the cauliflower sauce, but I’ve never made it to cashew cheese. It always seemed like a time-consuming pain in the you-know-what. I blame it on the “soaking” step. But, when you get down to it, IT’S RIDICULOUSLY EASY. My apprehension was for naught. You only have to soak the cashews for 30 minutes and then you throw all the ingredients into a food processor or blender. THAT’S IT.
The lasagna, on the other hand, well, that takes a bit of prep. For me, it’s a weekend meal to make when hubby’s home to help watch the baby. But most lasagnas worth their salt take some work and this lasagna is worth its salt and its nuts and its veggie noodles.
I’ve always been a fan of zucchini noodle lasagna (and but the addition of cashew cheese takes it up a notch. Sure, there are a few steps involved but nothing compared to a full-out homemade lasagna. And let’s just move on from the fact that if you’re looking for a lasagna resembling the carb-loaded, dairy-heavy batch from your Italian G-ma, this is not it. But if you’re looking for a dairy-free, noodle-less lasagna, this recipe will rock your world. SERIOUSLY. I threw this together and half expected it to turn out like a big plate of noodle mush with weird grainy nut cheese. But I was blown away. Like couldn’t photograph a single plate of lasagna because, as soon as I cut a piece, it went directly into my belly. I had just eaten lunch and dinner was hours away but I couldn’t stop myself from shoveling in forkful after forkful of flavorful, creamy lasagna.
The hubby opted to wait for dinner time like the civilized Brit he is despite my pleas of you gotta try this NOW. He was skeptical for sure. Paleo is one thing. Paleo and vegan? I could almost feel the wind at my back while he ran for the hills (or the nearest Indian restaurant). BUT…BUT…BUT…he LOVED the lasagna. He gobbled it up and went back for seconds all whilst extolling the virtues of its balanced flavors and delicate noodles and creamy you’d-never-know-it’s-not-ricotta cashew cheese.
This may be my greatest victory yet.
Paleo (and Vegan) Zucchini Lasagna with Cashew Cheese
- Basil-Cashew Cheese
- 1 cup unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Artichoke-Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 14.5- ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 8- ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (torn into pieces)
- Red pepper flakes (to taste)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)
- Zucchini Lasagna
- 6 medium zucchinis
- Coarse salt
- Fresh basil (for garnish)
- Olive oil (for drizzling)
- Basil-Cashew Cheese
- Soak the cashews in a bowl of water for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.
- Artichoke-Tomato Sauce
- Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions are softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Next, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, artichoke hearts and basil leaves. Season with red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer on medium low for 10 minutes.
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Slice each zucchini into 1/8-inch thick slices. Salt the zucchini slices heavily and set aside for 20 minutes to drain the water out. Squeeze as much water out of the zucchini slices as possible.
- Spread a few tablespoons sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay 4-5 zucchini slices side-by-side on the bottom of the dish. If you’re slices aren’t long enough for the entire casserole you can add another vertical row or place some slices horizontally to fill the space.
- Top the slices with 1/2 cup sauce and 1/4 cup cashew cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with a final layer of sauce and cheese. Garnish with more fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes and then bake, uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the lasagna is golden brown. Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve with another drizzle of olive oil.
Great little recipe Michelle! cashew cheese is great and if you don’t tell the family they might not even know… Love your new blog template look too. Glad to hear that you are able to crack the hubby from the usual and get him on a paleo diet. We also have been eating more paleo friendly meals but can’t get the need to fill up the teenagers on carbs up on this new idea. Pinning!
Thanks Bobbi! My husband never would have known that it was cashew cheese! My mom, on the other hand, tasted it and she was like, it tastes a little different… She is super picky. I feel like I have a harder time getting my parents to eat healthy things than I would a kid!
You make the best looking Italian dishes! I am always craving Italian after looking at your pasta posts!
Love to hear you are doing the Paleo thing and feeling great. I am doing the Whole30 with my mom and husband when my mom is here visiting from America. I have been wanting to do it for a while, but putting it off because of pregnancy and being hungry all the time! I was a bit worried about doing while sleep deprived and hungry from breast feeding, but I know I can just add in extra sweet potatoes and bananas for extra carbs when I need a boost– plus its a good time because all 3 of us will be home a lot taking care of the baby, and can share in the shopping and cooking, meaning there will always be healthy meals around!
We need a baby update! How is Alexander? Xander is due in a week and 2 days! Yikes!
That’s awesome Michelle! For most of the time doing (mostly) Paleo I haven’t been too hungry but there have been a few days where the breastfeeding hormones must have kicked in and I was STARVING no matter how much I ate. Everyone says that breastfeeding makes the weight fall off but I haven’t found that to be the case. Every time I lose a few pounds, I just gain it right back no matter what I do. It’s like the last 10 pounds is stuck on!
That’s awesome that your mom will be around to help with the shopping and cooking – that will make a huge difference!
Alex is doing great – getting bigger everyday and (fingers crossed) hopefully growing out of his 4-month sleep regression. He has started sleeping longer stretches again which is amazing. But now he’s decided that playing is more entertaining than napping so that’s fun….
I can’t believe you’re due in a week!!! Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any last minute questions or need anything!!!! So excited!
With Thanksgiving coming up, this will be great to satisfy my paleo sister-in-law and my vegan self! Any advice on preparing it the day before? Would I fully bake it and simply reheat? Or put all the cooked ingredients in the casserole dish and save the baking for the next time?
That’s great Amanda! I would recommend assembling beforehand and then baking right before the meal though I’m sure reheating would work fine. We reheated in the microwave all week and that was delicious. 🙂 I’m sure the oven will work fine as well. Just make sure that you get as much water out of the zucchinis as you can if you assemble beforehand so it doesn’t get soggy in the fridge. Let me know how it goes! Happy holidays!
Thanks for this great life changing recipe! I made this and now (almost) 1/2 of it is in my happy, stuffed belly! I had a helping of vegan lasagna at a restaurant while travelling last year and have dreamt (and talked) about it several times since. Now I can make it myself!! I follow the SCD religiously and now will sing this recipe to the choir. I am fulfilled 🙂
Whatever u do b careful of the amount of salt this recipe has . It’s way too much. I recommend getting everything salt free them salt it urself…also do not put salt on zucchini to draw water out, I used the gadget to spiral the vegetables then put it in a colander and pressed out water pressing down with a cup…otherwise it’s a really good recipe…
Hi this looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it. Do you know if it freezes well? I’m hoping to make lots of this and freeze for our busy meatless Monday’s.
Hi Stacy! I have not tried to freeze it before but I think it could freeze well. Let me know if you try it!
Hi there. Making this recipe now – looks delicious! Can I please ask what no-salt-added tomato sauce is? I’m from New Zealand and here ‘tomato sauce’ is possibly what you call ketchup. Could it be tomato puree, passata or tomato paste? Thank you!!! 🙂
Hi Lauren! Yes, it’s more of a tomato puree. Definitely not ketchup! 😀 Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks! Made the sauce today and it was delicious! Will put it all together tomorrow and cook. Quadrupled the recipe as this meal will be donated to a local lady who supplies meals to families with new babies – we aim to give them enough for 2 weeks off cooking. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
I’m glad it turned out well! That’s such a nice thing you’re doing!
Unfortunately I made mine and it was SUPER DUPER SALTY. I’m guessing its due to the fact that you have to put a lot of salt in the zucchini to get water out. I thought about rinsing it out but wouldnt that make the zucchini even more watery which we’re trying to avoid. Any suggestions?
Hi Patricia – that’s strange. Mine didn’t taste salty at all. You do have to put a lot of salt in the zucchini to get the water out but I find that squeezing the water out of the zucchini with paper towels takes most of the salt off. Maybe decrease or omit the salt in the rest of the recipe to make up for it? Or try to sprinkle less salt on the zucchini. While the salt helps, it’s really the draining time plus the squeezing that does most of the work.
Ok thank you. Will Do!
SUPER good! I’ve tried creating a zucchini lasagna before, but it was never very good and always runny. This recipe has cured that. It wasn’t runny and so flavorful. Genius!
Thank you so much Barb! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I just tried this recipe and I absolutely love it! Thank you for this. I’ve been doing Paleo for many years now and this is one of the best recipes I’ve tried. I love Italian food and with Paleo it’s been harder to have anything that tastes authentic but this is just so good!
I made this for a cast party along with a meat lasagna. I expected the meat lasagna to go first but the zucchini was a big hit. I was nervous making a new recipe for a potluck, but everything turned out great and I even got a few hugs from people thankful for a vegi alternative, especially since we have some who can’t have meat for health reasons. Thanks for sharing and I’ve had a few people from the party request the recipe so they are now pointed at your blog as well!
That’s so great Heidi!! Thanks for letting me know!
We tried this last night and it was delicious! thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!