Homemade lasagna with sweet potatoes in place of noodles! This recipe packs a ton of flavor and preserves the texture of traditional lasagna for a nutrient-packed meal. The addition of cottage cheese in place of ricotta adds extra protein!
Thinly slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise into ¼ inch slices or smaller. It isn't necessary to peel them.
Place on well-oiled baking sheet and bake at 400°F degrees until just starting to brown and get tender.
While sweet potatoes are cooking, brown the meat in a large skillet.
If there is room, add the pasta sauce and half of the garlic powder and basil, and all of the remaining spices to the skillet to warm. If not, combine the meat, pasta sauce, and spices in a large pot and heat to a simmer.
In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan, and half of grated mozzarella cheese, and the remaining garlic powder and basil. Set aside.
In 9x13 glass baking dish start layering: meat/sauce on bottom, followed by sweet potato slices, then ricotta mixture. This made 2 thick layers for me, but could be spread out into three layers if your dish is deep enough. Make sure there is a meat/sauce layer on the top when done.
Bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the egg/ricotta mixture is set and the middle is not jiggly. It will firm up a little more as it cools too.
About 15 minutes before done, add the remaining mozzarella cheese to top and put back in the oven.
Serve immediately. I recommend a side of Italian music and a salad!
Notes
A mandolin works well for slicing the sweet potatoes.
You can also use some Italian sausage in place of part of the ground beef
We like a lot of spice in our dishes, so the spice amounts listed might be a bit much for you. Spice to your own preference!