This is a take on my Best Ever Gluten Free and Low Carb Lasagna but it involves tuna and is the easiest way of making lasagna that has ever existed.

Since I work from home I always feel the desire to put food on the table in time for my wife to arrive back from work in the evening… despite my chronic fatigue! Sometimes this results in very basic meals (or on the days when I’m really too tired: a sobbing girl turning circles in kitchen with a wooden spoon in hand) but when I’m on form I like to go all out to treat her with fancy dinners made of a thousand parts!

… This is not one of those recipes.

Oh no, this recipe is one of those amazing things: a meal that looks like a lot of work but really, really isn’t. It also doesn’t take too long to pull together so if you’re hosting guests but won’t have a lot of time to prepare or just don’t want to spend lots of time in the kitchen then you’ll love this recipe. It’s the easiest way of making lasagna you’ve ever come across- it’s also gluten free since we’re using butternut squash sheets though you can use regular pasta sheets too. Aim for fresh pasta but if you’re using dried then keep the dish in the oven for 10 minutes longer to make sure they whole thing is cooked.

Other excellent things about this recipe: you can spice it up or add as many herbs as you desire! I’ve obviously made this recipe Low FODMAP, which means excluding onions and garlic, but if you have a stronger stomach than me (and let’s be honest, that’s most people!) then throw in either some sweated onions and chopped garlic or just granules. I think coriander is great in this recipe but a number of people in my life seem to prefer chopping their own foot off to eating ‘leafy soap’ so I’ve left it out. Basil is also lovely on the top.

The most important part of this recipe is that you let the lasagna stand for AT LEAST 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven. I often forget to do this because I have no patience and thus a sloppy messy ensues. Letting it stand means a nice, firm, slice of lasagna can be cut.

 

Recipe

Butternut squash lasagna sheets (400g)
2 tins tuna
1 carton passata (500g)
green tops of one bunch spring onions
1 tub cream cheese (lacto free if needs be)
1 ball mozzarella
50g grated cheese
salt and pepper

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Drain the tuna and mix with the passata.
• Add the spring onion tops and any herbs or spices you might be using.
• Starting with the sheets, layer the ‘pasta’ cream cheese and tuna mix. Finish with a layer of pasta.
• Top the final layer with cream cheese, grated cheese and the sliced mozzarella.
• Bake for 40 minutes.
• Stand for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve with salad or vegetable side.

Notes

I use ‘lacto-free’ versions of cheeses in this dish as lactose doesn’t agree with me but if you’re dairy friendly then… well… throw more cheese at it!

If my wife is not to hand to do the chopping (she’s very skilled with a huge knife) then I use pre-chopped butternut squash sheets. For other Low Carb, Gluten Free or Low FODMAP options for pasta you can, of course, use the gluten free pasta variations that are now sold in many supermarkets or you can stay super healthy and use other sliced vegetables that are up to the task like courgette or aubergine. Go on. Be healthy. You’re eating an awful lot of cheese anyway.

One of the hardest things about living without carbs for the last 10 years was that almost all food had to be entirely fresh. Sounds great… and is very healthy… but it’s also ridiculously expensive! Also: a pain. There were very few options for ‘getting towards the end of the week’ meals or ‘come home from being away and need to throw something together from the cupboard’ meals.

Having recently discovered the wonder of chickpea pasta (now sold in most supermarkets!), this recipe is a new favourite in my house. After so long not being able to eat pasta it’s great to have it as an option again! It does of course have to be spicy, like all dishes I serve to my lovely wife.

I use Laoganma’s Crispy Chilli Oil for this dish as we always have it around the house. If you love Asian flavours and spices but are unsure about starting with unfamiliar dishes or taking your first steps into a Chinese supermarket then adding a few ingredients to common recipes is a great way to start!

Serves 4

 

6 black olives

olive oil

300g low FODMAP vegetables (whatever you have left!)

1 bulb of fennel

400g tin plum tomatoes (no added sugar)

400g roast peppers (tinned or pre roasted)

250ml water

2 x 160g tins of tuna fish

300g dried gluten free pasta

15g fresh flat leaf parsley (1/2 bunch)

150g cottage cheese

20g Parmesan cheese

30g (lacto-free) cheddar cheese

Optional:

1 tsp crispy chilli oil

• Heat the olives in a pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of oil. Cook and stir whilst you chop the vegetables and fennel, adding them to the pan as you go.
• Cook for 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring regularly.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F
• Add the tomatoes and roast peppers to the pan, breaking them up with your wooden spoon. Give them a few moments to start bubbling then add the water.
• Drain and flake in the tuna. Add the chilli flakes if using.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Parboil the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes and drain.
• Finely chop the parsley and stir through the sauce with the cottage cheese and drained pasta. Season to taste.
• Tip into an ovenproof dish if you’re not already using one. Finely grate over the parmesan and cheddar cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Delicious with a simple green salad on the side!

Notes

I like to make this whole dish in a le creuset pan as it can go from the hob to the oven… and saves on washing up!

Personally I don’t have problems with cottage cheese the way I do with hard cheeses but if you’re entirely lactose free then either sub in a lacto free version or mash some firm silken tofu with a dash of lemon juice and drop the parmesan.