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paleo lasagna recipe

Zucchini Crock Pot Paleo Lasagna Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.3 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Rebecca Baron
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 120 minutes
  • Total Time: 150 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Paleo

Description

A paleo crock pot lasagna recipe with four delicious layers: a homemade marinara, zucchini noodles, a creamy "cheese" layer, and a ground turkey layer with fresh basil.


Ingredients

Scale

FOR THE MARINARA:

  • 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Yellow Onion (diced)
  • 1 tsp Real Salt *
  • 1 tsp Garlic (minced)
  • 7 Cups Fresh Tomatoes (diced about 10 small tomatoes)
  • 1/2 Tbl Raw Honey (leave out for Keto and Whole30)

FOR THE MEAT FILLING:

  • 1 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Small Onion (diced)
  • 1 lb Ground Turkey
  • 1/2 tsp Real Salt *
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
  • 18 Large Fresh Basil Leaves (chopped)

FOR THE PALEO "CHEESE SAUCE"

  • 1/2 Tbl Olive Oil
  • 1/4 Yellow Onion (chopped)
  • 1/2 Yellow Summer Squash (chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic (minced)
  • 1/4 tsp Real Salt *
  • 1/2 Cup Coconut milk * (divided)
  • 1 Egg
  • 4 medium-sized Zucchini (thinly sliced lengthwise 6-7 slices from each zucchini)

Instructions

To make the Marinara:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the onion and salt and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes and honey and reduce heat to medium. Let the sauce cook down for about 20 minutes, or until no longer watery and slightly thick. Check seasonings and add more salt, if needed.

To make the meat filling:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium/high heat. Add the ground turkey and break apart with a spatula. Cook the turkey for 2 minutes then add the onion, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until turkey is cooked through (make sure it has been broken up into small crumbles) and the onion is soft. Remove the pan from heat and toss the fresh basil into the mixture.

To make the Paleo "Cheese Sauce"

  1. Heat the olive oil to medium in a small saucepan. Add the chopped onion, summer squash, salt, and garlic to the pan and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Do not brown. Add 1/4 C. of the coconut milk to the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until more than half of the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Place the mixture in a blender with the remaining 1/4 c. coconut milk and puree until very smooth. Add the egg and puree until well blended.

To assemble lasagna:

  1. Lightly grease the inside of a crockpot.
  2. Cover the bottom of the crockpot with about 3/4 C. of the marinara sauce, spreading it out evenly.
  3. Place about 5 zucchini 'noodles' side by side over the marinara sauce.
  4. Spoon a layer of the 'cheese sauce' over the zucchini noodles (about 1/2 C).
  5. Sprinkle about 1/2 heaping c. of the meat mixture over the sauce.
  6. Spoon about 1/2-3/4 C. of the marinara sauce evenly over the meat mixture.
  7. Repeat this layering process until you have made 5 layers (zucchini, sauce, meat, marinara) ending with the marinara sauce.
  8. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.
  9. After 1 1/2 hours, remove the lid.
  10. Using a turkey baster or a ladle, remove all excess liquid that has pooled in the crock pot (the zucchini will let off quite a bit of liquid) and place it in a shallow frying pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until reduced into a thick, creamy sauce. Pour the sauce over the top of the lasagna in the crock pot and serve.