Going to a Potluck this holiday!!! Take This

Gluten Free*Dairy Free* Corn Free Lasagna

This is a two step process and I usually make enough of the marinara sauce to have several meals including the lasagna..because you just never know who will decide to hold a potluck and have friends over for the holidays! Its good to plan ahead when making this one so that you do have some in the freezer for just such occasions.

Marinara Sauce (serves 4 one meal; or 8 two meals)

You will need the following ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced finely
2 36 oz. cans diced tomatoes (in the summer you can use 2 lbs. fresh plum tomatoes diced)
2 36 oz cans tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. sea salt
a dash of cayanne pepper or black pepper to taste
6 Tbsp. fresh julienned basil hold out 2 tbsp. until the end of cooking
1/4 cup espresso coffee
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 bulb roasted garlic.. yes, the entire bulb - squeeze out all the roasted garlic so its ready to add to your sauce

In a large stockpot over medium heat..add your olive oil, when you can see it rippling it is heated enough to add the onions, stirring constantly to not brown but to yield the caramelized sweetness of the onion until they take on a transparent look; then add the tomato paste, the pan will be hot and you need to stir quickly with this but the effort is to get a 'cooked taste' to the paste; after most of the onions are combined add the,sea salt, pepper if using, roasted garlic, coffee, lemon juice and sugar; then add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and 4 tbsp. of the fresh basil. (if you do not have fresh basil use half the amount dried basil..rub it between your palms to help bring out the flavor of the herb..use only fresh dried herbs not older than six months.) Turn your pot down to a simmer and put a lid on the pot let this cook for three hours, stirring every 20 minutes; if the bottom of the pot starts stick; turn heat down further and let the sauce continue cooking.

You can use this in any recipe for an Italian meal and freeze for future use.

The Lasagna:
You will need the following for an 8x8 baking dish:

9 Cups Marinara Sauce
One package De Boles wheat free Rice Lasagna Noodles - UNCOOKED
2 packages Almond 'Basil and Garlic' 'cheese' cut into long strips 1/8" thick
One package Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp. crushed dried basil
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 eggs - one whole egg; one white only egg

In a small bowl mix all ingredients except the marinara sauce, almond cheese and of course the noodles, until completely combined.

Add three cups sauce to the bottom of your baking dish; layer with the rice noodles, likely you will need to break off the ends to fit the length of the pan; then layer with the almond cheese and then spread a layer of your creamed mixture of eggs, spices and Tofutii..repeat until you come to the top of your baking dish and end with a layer of sauce. Most lasagnas will have a layer of cheese on top, I push my last layer of Almond Cheese just under the surface of the tomato sauce so that it will not stick to the foil covering..and so the foil covering will not touch the food!, but the basil/garlic 'cheesy' goodness is there when you serve it~bake for one hour at 425 degrees and check it by sticking a fork into the middle, if the fork is hot and the noodles are completely soft, it is ready to serve. It warms up the next day as leftovers perfectly in a microwave or oven.

Serve with a bountiful salad..and have fun at your next potluck dinner!