Noodleless Bison Lasagna with Zucchini & Cashew Cheeze

Oh - my - word.  This dinner was seriously amazing.  Like give me a second helping and then watch me lick-my-plate kind of amazing.

I had been searching for a good noodle-free lasagna recipe and after seeing a couple, I decided I might be best trying my own recipe based on what I had available.  I never tried bison meat before but I know it's lower in fat, and my husband loves it.  So I figured why not try it!  My version is a Southwest

Ingredients:
1 package (approx. 1 lb) bison meat - look for locally raised, hormone free
2 or 3 thick zucchini, sliced lengthwise into flat "noodles"
1 cup packed baby spinach, chopped
1 small yellow squash, diced
6 white button mushrooms, diced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 recipe Cashew Cheeze
coconut oil for sautéing
1/4 packet Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
Himalayan sea salt, to taste

Prepare the Cashew Cheeze if you're dairy-free (click here for the link: Vegan Cashew Cheeze recipe).  If you are not dairy-free, you can substitute with any other cheese source you'd like.  Preheat your oven to 425.  Slice the ends off of your zucchini and slice lengthwise to form flat "noodles" (see picture below).  Optional:  lightly saute the slices for a minute on each side in coconut oil in a pan or heat for 8 minutes in the oven to soften.  In another pan, saute the diced yellow squash, onion & mushrooms in coconut oil.  When lightly browned, place in a bowl and set to the side.  In same pan, add the bison and brown evenly.  Mix in the taco seasoning and cumin.   Toss in the chopped spinach until wilted.  Remove from heat.  Add the bison mixture to the bowl with the diced veggies and incorporate.

Line a baking dish with some of the zucchini slices, add the bison mixture and top with a thin layer of the Cashew Cheeze.  Repeat all three steps so you have two layers of zucchini, bison & Cashew Cheeze.

Bake at 425 for about 25 minutes.  I served mine with a side salad of fresh broccoli slaw, red cabbage and sprouted beans tossed with GF sundried tomato dressing.

This lasagna reheated very well later in the week and was just as delicious as it was the first night.

Here's what my zucchini slices looked like.

Squash, mushrooms, onion, spinach and parsley before dicing & chopping.

Here's the squash, mushrooms & onion after sautéing.

Bison meat with wilted spinach.

Mixed veggies added to the bison meat & spinach.

Layered Zucchini, bison mixture and Cashew Cheeze before baking.

After baking!

Inside the lasagna.

My serving of lasagna along with the broccoli slaw.