All the flavors of traditional lasagna (including noodles!) plus a few special extras make up the flavor profile of this ultimate lasagna.
Lasagna. Garfield’s favorite treat. The ultimate Italian comfort food. And one of my family’s (perhaps yours, too) most beloved meals. Unfortunately, when made in the typical traditional way, lasagna is a major bummer on your blood sugar.
Enter the beauty of Dreamfield’s pasta. Dreamfield’s tastes just like regular store-bought pasta, but it has a special coating that causes you to not digest the majority of the carbs.
For this reason, you’ll notice in the nutrition facts that the carbs look super high and, if you’re doing Trim Healthy Mama or keto, that makes this lasagna way off plan. But, because of this coating, each serving yields a mere 5 carbs instead of the hefty amount indicated.
If for any reason you would rather not have yummy pasta, then you can easily sub it for eggplant, spaghetti squash, sliced zucchini, or whatever you like.
TJ's Ultimate Lasagna
Ingredients
- "noodles" of choice: thin sliced zucchini, thin sliced eggplant, or about 8 Dreamfields lasagna noodles
For Meat Mixture
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 pound ground meat (beef, venison, elk, turkey, chicken, etc.)
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, drained
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon mineral salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
For Creamy Mixture
- 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground ceylon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mineral salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
Topping Ingredients
- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- dried or chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Boil the Dreamfields pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9- by 13-inch glass or ceramic dish by lightly greasing it with coconut oil cooking spray; set aside.
- Mix the ground meat, sausage, and onions together in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the meats have browned, add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Mix in the remaining meat mixture ingredients and cook just until heated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the creamy mixture ingredients.
- Place a layer of "noodles" in the bottom of the prepared dish.
- Spread out all of the creamy mixture on top these "noodles."
- Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese atop the creamy mixture.
- Place another layer of "noodles" atop the mozzarella.
- Spread all of the meat mixture over these "noodles."
- Pop in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle on remaining mozzarella and optional garnish parsley.
- Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into 12 squares with a serrated knife.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are approximate and may vary based on several factors. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer.
Question: Would a dairy free version with cashew cream: soaked cashews/vinegar and spices, be a comparable substitute to sour cream and still be an S and not a crossover?
I have never tried that and would need to see the nutrition facts for the cashew cream to let you know for sure.
Love this, TJ! It’s spot on.
Thanks, TJ! Made this with the eggplant instead of Dreamfields (nothing against Dreamfields unlike some judgers apprently lol, just not my preferred choice). Recipe is amazing!
Wait a moment here…Dreamfields has Lasagna noodles? I’ve not seen those. Wow!
Yep, they do. I can never find them in stores though, only online. I’ve had a friend find them locally to her before though and she shipped me a bunch when they went on sale. You can substitute other noodles as well if you like or can’t get them.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/the-dreamfields-pasta-fraud
You don’t need to post my comment, most people don’t post comments that are not complimentary, but this link explains why this is not a low carb meal
best to you!
Hi, Millie! Thank you kindly for your concern. That specific article has been heavily discussed in the Trim Healthy Mama and keto communities over the past few years. It has been debunked for multiple reasons, including for being misleading and for its primary source of information having been removed for potentially inaccurate or incomplete information (specifically, this one: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/2/e17). If you are part of the THM community on Facebook, you can read Pearl Barrett’s (THM author) and various other authorities’ opinions on the Diet Doctor article here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/trim-healthy-mama/dreamfields-pasta-blood-sugar/473163619423461/
The conclusion–it was deemed that Dreamfields pasta is okay to use upon occasion (not daily).
As with any food, it is recommended that you be knowledgeable about your body’s own unique reaction via blood sugar levels (i.e. if Dreamfields spikes yours, avoid it; if you do ok, enjoy it). Be sure to include protein if you do enjoy Dreamfields pasta as this is important and, without it, can adversely affect your blood sugar levels (that is an unfairness of the “test” that the author of that article did–he ate no protein with Dreamfields).
If you’d still like to make my recipe above but want to avoid Dreamfields, you can sub it with the items I recommended in the article (just before the recipe card).
Hope this helps. Have a great day, Millie!
TJ, thank you for the taking the time to provide additional resources! The recipe looks great. I feel better about giving it a try now.
“This article has been withdrawn by the authors because some of the data were obtained prior to receiving IRB approval.” It didn’t say it was withdrawn because it was inaccurate (ie, they did the test again and it had different, contradicting results). It says it was withdrawn because they didn’t receive IRB (Institutional Review Board). There are quite a lot of tensions between the IRB and PI’s (Principle Investigators): http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0028773
The point of the research was not to show whether Dreamfield’s pasta is safe to consume on occasion with protein for people who do not have blood sugar problems. The point of the research was to show that the pasta is **exactly the same as every other normal pasta.** It is simply not low carb. Period. It’s pasta. Sure if you want to eat it, fine, but don’t pretend that it’s low carb. According to THM, you shouldn’t be eating it with fat.
Hi, Sarah. Thank you kindly for your comment. I’ll respond to each of your concerns and I will repeat myself a bit to make it very clear (not for you necessarily, but for others who may read this comment in the future and need some concepts repeated).
That is correct, it was withdrawn because IRB approval wasn’t there. What I was stating in my previous comment to Millie was that it wasn’t a good article for the Diet Doctor’s piece because it wasn’t there any more (others who had read the article when I researched it stated it was incomplete and inaccurate). I have no idea if it was in fact inaccurate or not because I never saw it, it was removed long before I read the Diet Doctor article.
And, yes, Dreamfields contains the same basic ingredients as any other durum pasta. However, they also add fiber and plant proteins that prevent the average body from digesting the majority of the carbs. When consumed with protein (studies “proving” Dreamfields doesn’t work, including the Diet Doctor article, the subjects ate Dreamfields either after fasting or just with no protein while other pastas were eaten with protein, thus likely altering the blood sugar results from one pasta to the next) it has a lower impact on blood sugar.
Dreamfields is now made the same as it was 10+ years ago, which means that it typically does not spike blood sugar levels. For those doing THM (used to enjoying carbs), it usually does not; for those doing modified (not as strict) keto (also those who enjoy limited carbs), it does not; for those who are super strict keto, it might spike their blood sugar levels. As with any other food, an individual needs to know their own body (be in tune with themselves). Blood monitors are cheap and easy to use, so I recommend people check their blood sugar before eating Dreamfields and after to see if it spikes their blood sugar. For me personally (I am not diabetic, but I still check my blood sugar regularly), it does not adversely affect me at all. With the same exact meal using a non-Dreamfields pasta, it major spikes my blood sugar. So my blood sugar results show me that I personally can handle it and they also exhibit that Dreamfields is unique from other durum wheat pastas. Everyone is different. So it might not affect mine or Pearl’s (THM author…she, too, did blood checks and she didn’t spike when using Dreamfields which is why she, too, says she continues to use it) or many other people, but it might adversely affect some people; if you (or whoever is reading this comment) is one such person, of course don’t eat it. There are plenty of pasta substitutes as I listed in the article just before the recipe.
Dreamfields isn’t labeled low carb any more, but it *can* work with a low carb diet because of the ingredients which render the majority of carbs non-digestible. If you are uncomfortable with this, that’s perfectly fine, however, on THM it is considered a personal choice item and thus allowed. As far as which meal types it can go with, it is allowed with an S (fat) based meal (double checked with Trim Healthy Mama’s community leader Jessica and she confirmed that, yes, it can go with any fuel type). I do offer alternative non-pasta options in the article for those who do not like Dreamfields for any reason (that is each person’s choice and either choice is ok and on plan). THM recommends Dreamfields only be enjoyed in one meal per week.
Thanks again for your comment, Sarah. I really appreciate it. Hopefully my response helps to clarify especially THM’s stance on Dreamfields. Have a great day!
Can’t wait to try it. Thanks!!