We have had a problem come up in our home where the hubby has developed an allergic reaction to mammalian meats (ie: beef, pork) called Alpha Gal Syndrome or AGS. So, as you can imagine, this has thrown the Rorick household into a tizzy!! We are beef eaters! We LOVE a good steak with a potato and salad as much as the next Enidite. Needless to say, this has been an adjustment for us, and an adjustment to most of my recipes. However, we persevered, and have moved these items out of our diet. All of this is to say, I have had to adjust my traditional lasagna recipe to exclude the meat. But in doing so, I was wanting to make sure that the protein and the flavor was still there…thus the 5 Cheese Lasagna was born.
Now, this is not your typical cheese lasagna, as you can tell by the ingredients, but it is flavorful, and the Hubs ate it up!! The 5 cheeses, though not featured in traditional form, are mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, ricotta, and cottage cheese. Now. I know there is a debate on whether or not cottage cheese should be added to lasagna, but I was also going for a certain texture to replace the texture of the meat. I used large curd cottage cheese to achieve this. But, if you are adamantly opposed to cottage cheese, you can substitute additional ricotta for it. Also, you will notice that parmesan is not listed in my ingredients, but it is the major cheese ingredient in the Alfredo sauce. (By the way, you may make your own homemade marinara and alfredo…or use whatever brand you choose. That is completely up to you, but I do find that a chunkier marinara stands up better in this dish since you will have the extra liquid of the alfredo). So I hope you will try this non-traditional cheese lasagna and let me know what you think!! Happy Cooking!!!!
5 Cheese Lasagna Recipe
9 Ready to bake lasagna noodles
1 jar marinara sauce
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1 15oz ricotta cheese
1 15oz large curd cottage cheese, drained
1 8oz pkg Italian blend shredded cheese
2 eggs
1 Tbls Italian seasoning
1 Tbls dried basil
1 Tbls parsley
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Add drained cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 1 cup Italian cheese blend, Italian seasoning and basil. Mix well.
Place 1/4 of marinara evenly across the bottom of baking dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles side by side on top of sauce. Evenly spread another 1/4 of Marina sauce atop noodles. Then evenly spread 1/2 alfredo sauce over sauce. Next, evenly spread 1/2 cheese mixture over alfredo. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Italian blend cheese over top. Then, repeat the layers a second time. After the second layer is complete, top with the remaining 3 lasagna noodles. Top with remaining marinara, then Italian blend cheese.
Cover the entire dish with foil and bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting to allow lasagna to set.
