With bathing suit season still in swing I decided to continue my series of low-carb food substitutes. I have shared recipes for pizza, spaghetti, pancakes, and chips.  Now, for your culinary pleasure Shitake Mushroom-Tomato Pasta-less Lasagna!
The original recipe calls for homemade pesto, pumpkin seed ricotta, and tomato sauce. However, if your time is limited, feel free to use store bought. Just rule of thumb: packaged food should have no more than 5 pronounceable ingredients.
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce
Pistachio pesto:
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup pistachios
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
Black pepper
Pumpkin seed ricotta:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. purified water
Marinated shiitake mushrooms:
About 15 shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped basil, oregano, and lemon thyme
Lasagne:
3 to 5 medium zucchini
3 to 5 medium heirloom tomatoes (try to get various colors)
1 to 2 tomatillos (optional)
Castelvetrano olives or any other kind you like

Directions
To make your life easier, prepare the ricotta, sauce, and pesto the day before.
Pistachio Pesto: Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until chunky-smooth.

Pumpkin Seed Ricotta: Mix all the ingredients except water in a food processor until smooth. Keep the food processor on and gradually add the water until the mixture is fluffy.

Make the marinated shiitake mushrooms: Cut the stems off the mushrooms. Rinse mushroom caps and dry them with paper towels. Mix the oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Stir in the mushroom caps to the marinade. Then, drain them and gently squeeze out the excess liquid.

Then, put zucchini in a bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and toss.

Layer the lasagna with a slice of tomato and zucchini slices and alternating sauces, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Top it with olives!

 

-Emily Freeman