SWEET POTATO LASAGNA

Ingredients

• 1½ lb sweet potatoes (about 3-4 large sweet potatoes)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 3 cups mozzarella, shredded

Meat Sauce

• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lb ground meat (ground turkey or beef works well)
• 24 oz crushed tomatoes
• 12 oz tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano, thyme, cumin, and black pepper.
• 1/2 tbsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1/3 cup water

Ricotta Mixture

• 16 oz ricotta
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup packed, torn spinach

Instructions

1. Sauce: In a large pan, add diced onions and sauté until translucent. Add in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink and little juice remains. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered on low for 1 hour.
2. Sweet Potatoes: While the sauce is simmering, preheat your oven to 350°F. Scrub or peel sweet potatoes and then carefully slice into very thin long strips. Once all the potatoes have been sliced, place them in an 11×13 pan that you will later use for the lasagna and toss them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Put the pan in the oven for about 15-20 minutes so that the potatoes get soft, but don’t become crispy. Remove when done and allow to cool for assembly.
3. Ricotta Mixture: Mix together the 4 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. Assembly: When the sauce is finished simmering, place 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of your 11×13 pan and spread to an even layer. Next, add 1/3 of the pre-cooked sweet potato slices to just cover the sauce. Follow this layer by dropping spoonfuls of the spinach ricotta mixture, using 1/2 the mixture to evenly cover the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella cheese over this layer. Repeat layers. (Look at Hannah’s Hints below for a full list of each layer.)
6. Cover the lasagna with tin foil and cook for 30 minutes. Then remove tin foil and cook for the remaining 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let sit for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the layers to set.

Great served with a green salad. Enjoy!