Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna

August 24, 2015

Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna
This, this is my culinary Himalaya.
This fifteen-layer striation of cauliflower noodles, tomato, spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese, repeated three times, is so delish you won’t even believe it.
Saturday night my friends L+L couldn’t believe how delicious it was, you probably wouldn’t either.
You must though, because this Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna is homey, comforting, and a total winner.

Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna
To be honest, until last year I didn’t know it was possible to make noodles out of cauliflower.
But then it happened, and it was sublime.
I even thought I had peaked. I thought I had reached the heights of my cauliflower crust career.
Boy I was wrong.
Sure, lasagna made with cauliflower noodles, bolognese sauce, bechamel, and Parmesan cheese is delicious. I mean, that’s (almost) how real lasagna is supposed to look and taste.
But the American-style version with spinach/ricotta/tomato can be just as good, maybe even better.
Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna
So it surprised nobody more than me that I found my lasagna nirvana in this ragu’ bolognese-free spinach-ed variety, which happened to be light and almost delicate.
I know, ricotta and mozzarella are not the kind of things people associate with a lightweight meal, especially over pasta, but when mixed with lots of spinach and cauliflower noodles, it makes for a surprisingly refreshing meal without making you feel you’d need to take out the fat pants.

Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna
I know you’re not going to believe me, but I plead you to consider it: this lasagna feels light, almost impalpable. Though it’s comforting and homey.
Maybe it’s the cauliflower noodles, or the lightness of the spinach+ricotta mixture, but it feels quite decadent, surprisingly delicious, and totally warming.
A lasagna without a lot of carbs and without gluten. Let’s do this.
 

Cauliflower Noodle Spinach Lasagna                                                                Print this recipe!

If you're not sure how to make cauliflower noodles, check this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 8

Cauliflower noodles

3 cups cauliflower rice, packed
3 eggs
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Lasagna

2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
6 oz / 170 gr fresh spinach
1 lb / 453 gr ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 (24 oz / 650 gr) jar marinara sauce or tomato sauce (I used Newman’s Own)
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Fine grain salt
Ground black pepper

Directions

Cauliflower Noodles

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), line a large baking sheet (or two small ones) with parchment paper and grease it with olive oil. Set aside.
In a food processor rice the cauliflower, until you get a texture finer than rice. Once it’s riced measure it and make sure you have 3 cups packed.
Place cauliflower rice in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, give it a good stir and microwave for another 2 minutes.
Place the cauliflower rice in a dish towel (or cheesecloth) and twist it to squeeze out as much moisture as you can (I usually squeeze out over a cup of liquid). This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry.
Place drained cauliflower rice back in the bowl. Add eggs, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
Spread the mixture onto the lined baking sheet.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let cool 10 minutes and carefully peel it off the parchment paper.
Transfer to a large cutting board or work surface.
Depending on the size and shape of your baking dish, cut the cauliflower noodles so that it will fit into the dish. Set aside.

Spinach mixture

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the spinach and sauté until just barely wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, salt, and nutmeg.
Add the spinach and stir to combine.
Transfer the spinach mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times until smooth (this is optional, but it makes for a very nice texture.)

Assemble lasagna

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and place a rack in the middle.
Spread one tablespoon of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Arrange cauliflower noodles side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish.
Spread with ⅓ of the spinach mixture. Top with ¼ of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with ¼ of mozzarella cheese. Repeat to make 3 layers, ending with noodles, sauce, and cheese.
Cover with foil (to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese).
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
Let stand 15 minutes before serving so that the cauliflower noodles can soak up some of the moisture.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 307 calories, 20 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbs, 18 grams of protein.

42 comments:

  1. Whoa - I can't wait to try this! We made our first cauliflower crust quiche the other day, and it was great! I'll never tire of your cauliflower experiments, so feel free to keep them coming!

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  2. This looks absolutely divine, Mike! I've heard of zucchini noodle lasagna, but your version is so much more creative! I definitely will be saving this recipe to try at a later time! Pinned! :D

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  3. This is so creative Mike, and it looks absolutely amazing. Can't wait to try it!

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  4. Obviously, I am all over this recipe! intend to try it soon, as I absolutely LOVED the cauli-tillas when I made them

    I don't remember last time I had regular lasagna, because even with portion control it is way too heavy for me

    love this take with the spinach....

    awesome job!

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    1. I'm sure you're going to love this Sally, it's light and so delish!

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  5. Pretty sure I need to try this! Looks like work, but I'm sure the results are worth it.

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  6. Mike - how awesmazing is this! If I was at your dinner party, I would've had to lick that dish clean!

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  7. Okay I NEED to make this! So worth the work- and such lovely photos! :) Pinning!

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  8. Oh my goodness, the nutritional stats on this are impressive, especially in comparison to regular lasagna! I love all the cauliflower recipes Mike, and I totally think you may have a few more up your sleeve. :-)

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    1. I do have a few more up my sleeve...in due time Lauren, in due time :D

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  9. The cauliflower noodles are pure genius!

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  10. Oh.My.GAWD! I almost can't fathom the awesomeness going on here, Mike! Almost, because I have seen the always delicious and versatile cauliflower light- so I KNOW this cauliflower noodle spinach lasagna amazingness will knock my dang socks off! I haven't been this excited to make a dish in a while- like I'm school girl and first boy crush type of giddy!! LOVE this dreamy dish (<-- total understatement)! Pinned! And SO happening very soon in my kitchen! Cheers, buddy!

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  11. Mike, this lasagna is absolutely deceiving - it looks like an old classic lasagna! But you told that. And those cauliflower noodles? OMG, that's something too complicated. I'd better go and buy a spiralizer, haha. Impressive job!

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  12. How are you so talented??? Cauliflower noodles? That's so smart!! And that spinach ricotta sauce sounds too good to be real too ;)

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    1. You're the talented one Consuelo, no doubt about that!

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  13. An impalpable lasagnsa? Lies I say! Lasagnas are synonymous with laying on the couch afterwards feeling like you ate a brick. Yes, a delicious brick...but a brick nonetheless. Very creative use of cauliflower here, Alpha! *high-five* #WolfpackPeaks

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    1. Sorry to disappoint you my friend, but this is the very opposite of a brick. It's so light after eating it you may or may not float in the air ;)

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  14. I love how light and healthy this looks! I rarely make lasagna, but I feel like I must try this!

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  15. I'm impressed! I didn't know cauliflower noodles were possible. PLUS it can satisfy my Italian need for pasta without tomatoes that my husband cannot handle. Thanks!

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  16. Wow dude, this is incredible!!! I would never imagine you could make lasagna out of cauliflower... lord knows I need it. I don't even fit into my fat pants... it's a strechy mesh shorts kinda summer over here! Great recipe Alpha! #wolfpackeats

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  17. This looks amazing, I already wrote it down in my recipe notebook and will definitely have to make it soon. I tried a couple of your cauliflower recipes already and they were both super.

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    1. That's fantastic Adina. I can't wait for you to make this. Let me know what you think!

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  18. Have you ever tried freezing these Cauliflower noodles after baking them so you can use them at a later date? Just curious if that works. Thanks!

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  19. I knew you were far from your cauliflower peak and this totally proves it! I love lasagna both ways too, traditional Italian style and the American version. I might lean towards the American version a bit simply because I don't have to make bolognese first thought! I still need to try your cauliflower noodles, so with some cooler temperatures coming, this lasagna needs to happen. :)

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  20. Making it now...can't wait to try...however, I don't get how the noodles made 3 layers! Especially in that size of a dish...I would need two baking sheets full of noodles. ..and we spread it so thin...I guess well fund out!

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  21. This looks so delicious and I plan to make it this weekend! One question though - in the instructions for the spinach mixture you mention nutmeg, but I don;t see nutmeg in the list of ingredients. How much did you use?

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  22. This looks amazing, are those net or total carbs?

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  23. I think you need to write a cookbook :) Seriously, I just printed off at least 6 of your recipes...and am hunting for more! Thank you so much for posting all of your hard work! Stumbled across your website and it will now be a go to... Happy New Year!

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  24. Hello, I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and my mother-in-law has asked to have it for her birthday dinner. A fabulous recipe, and consistently amazing. Thank you so much for sharing it.

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