Whey-Free Lasagna

As mentioned before, I've had a bit of a problem converting my family's traditional Italian recipes into whey-free form.

The last item on the list was lasagna because ricotta cheese is whey. Hrmmm? What to do?

Johnny's mom makes lasagna from a box recipe using cottage cheese. While it tastes like lasagna, there's a bit of a texture disconnect for me. But, with this recipe I solved that and a successful whey-free lasagna was born!

9 lasagna noodles
sauce
meat or vegetables of choice (I used some of my dad's breakfast sausage)
1 pint cottage cheese*
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
dried parsley
1 egg
black pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

If you're using the no-boil lasagna noodles you can get to work assembling, otherwise pre-boil your noodles and run them under cold water to cool them and avoid sticking and tearing. (I used the boiling ones.)

Dump the cottage cheese into a medium mixing bowl and with an immersion blender, blend until a smooth, creamy consistency - almost exactly like ricotta! Add the Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, and pepper. Stir until everything is mixed.

To start your layering, begin with a little bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan so the noodles do not stick. Then, a layer of noodles, the cheese mixture, any meat or veggies, and sauce. Repeat noodles, cheese, filling (if using), sauce two more times. You should have three layers in an average-sized casserole dish.

When you get to the last layer, cover the pan with foil and bake in a 400° oven for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the pan from the oven, take off the foil and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Put under the broiler until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Watch closely!

Let sit 10-15 minutes before cutting into. Serves about 6. Leftovers freeze well.

*Please make sure to check the cottage cheese label. Not all are whey-free. Only one brand in our grocery store is, and just their low-fat version.