Sunday, November 24, 2013

Lasagna w/ Grain-free "Noodles" -- Low Carb & Wheat Free

This evening I decided to make Lasagna w/ Grain-free Noodles. For the noodles, I used my grain-free tortilla/wraps to use as my noodles and then layered them with fresh mozzarella, shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta and shredded regular mozzarella. One of my sons and my daughter came for dinner this evening so I thought that might be something they would both enjoy. I browned a pound of ground sirloin with diced onion and seasoned it with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, a bit of Italian seasoning and a little fennel seeds to give it a sausage-like flavor. I poured in 3/4 of a jar of Rao's Arrabbiata sauce and then layered it with my "noodles" (it's better to serve your lasagna with additional sauce than to make it too saucy). As I got ready to cut the tortillas to fit into a rectangular lasagna pan, I found myself suddenly questioning why...if pizza can be rectangular, why can't lasagna be round? So, obviously you know what the answer to that question was...I made a round lasagna! LOL (I'm such a rebel).  ;-)  I so hate driving between the lines...it's more fun to drive ON them! I just happen to own a deep dish 10-inch round pie dish...so I just plopped my perfectly fitting "noodles" in and layered my lasagna. I used a bit of cayenne, onion powder and a pinch of Italian seasoning in my grain-free noodles. The lasagna turned out beautiful. I snapped a few photos for you to see below along with the recipe for my grain-free "noodles". Enjoy!




Tired of watery grain-free lasagna -- there is no water on this plate! 


Before going into the oven...
After coming out of the oven...


Grain-free Tortillas for "Lasagna Noodles" (makes one 8-inch tortilla "lasagna noodle")

Ingredients:
1/4 cup egg whites or Egg Beaters
2 tablespoons blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons ground golden flax
2 teaspoons finely grated Parmesan
Dash of sea salt
Dash of cayenne, garlic powder or onion powder, optional

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to form a smooth, thin batter. Lightly spray a 10-inch non-stick skillet with olive oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Pour batter into hot skillet, tilting the pan and using a circular motion to evenly distribute the batter in the bottom. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until very lightly browned and cooked around edges. Carefully loosen and flip using a rubber spatula; cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Cut to fit the lasagna pan or casserole dish used to make lasagna, as necessary.

*Note: To make 4 tortillas, use the following amounts: 1 cup egg whites/egg substitute, 1/2 cup blanched almond flour, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon of ground golden flax, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons finely grated Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon optional seasoning (or to taste). Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter in hot skillet to make each tortilla.

   

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

How many noodles/layers did you use?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

In this dish I made 3 layers of noodles...meat sauce on the bottom/noodle...meat sauce/Parmesan/ricotta/shredded mozzarella/noodle...meat sauce/sliced mozzarella/Parmesan/noodle...meat sauce/shredded mozzarella/shredded Parmesan....bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees, reduce temp to 325 and continue baking another 15 minutes (total of 45 mins)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

P.S. -- If I use my deeper lasagna pan I like to make 4 layers of noodles -- I only had space for 3 in this dish. :-)

Anonymous said...

PPPPPPPPPFFFFFFT.....all you need to make a really great meal is a jar of Raos and a straw!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

So true about the Rao's! :-)

DrLFRoberts said...

I'll try this next time. I love the squash lasagna but it is watery, even if you cook the squash ahead.
I've already made your pumpkin pie (without crust) and sweetened condensed "milk" today. Getting ready to make the pecan pie!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Wow, you have been busy, DrLFRoberts! I really enjoy the lasagna this way, too. I do like the squash and eggplant version...but this one is so much like the "traditional" kind it is scary! You could probably fool a lot of folks with it if you chose to! ;-)

Anonymous said...

I am lo I g your site as I am new to the wheat free world!!! A question about the recipes with flax seed, since I am allergic to flax seed as well as my son and daughter, is there anything I can substitute for it in the recipes?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi! Try making a couple of the grain-free tortilla/noodles and substitute 2 tsp almond flour for the flax to see how they turn out. I think they will be fine. The flax just sort of binds the mixture since it thickens the batter. After you make them, see if you can fold them over or loosely roll them without them cracking -- if it works, you are good! :-) It depends on the recipe whether the flax is necessary -- some it is and some not. :-)