Kale Bake

This casserole is a lower-carb version of a lasagna-like dish, with similar flavors, but unique. This is a great, gluten-free, nightshade-free, recipe to use up things you have on hand and it tastes great. It is lovely paired with a side salad.

INGREDIENTS:

• 9 x 9 pan
  • White sauce (home made or store bought)
    • Kale (or spinach)
      • One or more cheeses (can be vegan, homemade, or store bought). Suggestions include: Italian cheeses, ricotta, cottage cheese (drained), fresh shaved Parmesan, mozzarella, or Monterrey Jack.
      • Dried Italian Seasoning to taste.
      • Pepperoni (vegan, or turkey based) or sausage (vegan or beef)

METHOD:

Layer, alternating layers, into – 9×9 Pan the following:
– kale pesto white sauce
– Kale
– 1 to 3 Cheeses (ricotta, cottage cheese, fresh shaved Parmesan, mozzarella, Monterrey Jack)
– Italian Seasoning
– (optional crumbled sausage or other favorite protein source)
– repeat layers as needed to fill the pan
Bake 350 for 45 minutes, or until cheese is to your desired brownness.

SAUSAGE (optional):

To make sausage (optional) take 1 lb of your favorite protein source and place it in a bowl. (If you are using canned beans, rinse and drain well before placing in the bowl). Lay down a “bead” (where you can still see the spice and it doesn’t get lost into the moisture of the protein source) of each spice: fennel seeds, pepper, salt to taste (optional-cheese is already salty), celery powder, garlic powder, parsley, dried onion flakes, a pinch of brown sugar, and a pinch of mustard powder. Mix the spices throughout the protein source so it is equally distributed. For raw-meat, cook and cool before placing on pizza or in the lasagna-like kale casserole. If using beans, add enough onion flakes and spices to bind the beans together and you can skip the cooking step for this recipe and use them in bit-sized drops as a protein layer in your casserole dish.

I’ve tried this recipe with an additional ingredient. Read about my trial of adding Palmini Lasagna sheets to this recipe.