Sweet, sweet lasagna! Er, sorta.

I never thought I’d hear the words sweet potato and lasagna in the same sentence, hence why were intrigued by the sweet potato lasagna recipe provided by Sewall House Yoga Retreat in Maine. It’s lasagna without the pasta, which makes me happy because I try to cut down on starches whenever possible (painful, I know).

The recipe provided was sorta vague, so much of the following was an experiment. But read the entire recipe first because it will help with grocery purchasing and cooking time. Beware that this is not for your average week night. It takes time and effort (about 1.5 hours if you are better than me) to create this healthier and creative version of lasagna.

I began chopping my onions, grating an entire block of jack cheese, and defrosting my spinach. You should actually shred a bit more than 1 block to accommodate all of the layers. I ended up shredding another 3 ounces of cheddar to finish the final layer, hence the orange tint of the cheese in the photos.

Then it is time to slice your sweet potatoes. Keep in mind that the thinner you slice, the faster the dish will cook. I used a mandolin (or part of a cheese grater) to slice the sweet potatoes into slivers. It makes quick work of a very tedious task and gets the potatoes nice and thin for easy cooking and layering. But, just as Bobby Flay warned me when I first learned of this trick, don’t shred down to the nub…there will be more potatoes but no more fingers, so save yourself some pain and throw out the last end of the potato.

Sweet Lasagna

Next step for me was combining all of the other ingredients into a bowl. One onion, 1 can of celery soup, ½ cup of sour cream, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 2 tbsp parsley, 1 clove of garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. This area was very open for interpretation and I went with a bit of sweet and a bit of spice.

You could also go for the Italian version with some fresh basil, oregano, and rosemary. If you would like your mixture to be a bit thinner and healthier, use half/half or heavy cream instead of the soup (I wish I knew that beforehand because the mix came out very thick).

Layering Time! I began by coating my pan and then put down the first layer of potatoes (about 1/3). Next, layer 1/3 of your mixture, followed by a layer of spinach, and then 1/3 of your cheese. By the way I am doing 3 layers… I would actually recommend some fresh baby spinach for layering because it will be a little less soupy, a lot less prepping, and much easier to layer. Perform the above layering 2 more times, cover with foil, and throw it in the oven. If you slice them thin like I did it will only take an hour to cook through so check to be sure at the hour mark.

Sweet Lasagna

Once this dish is done, it is so delectable! Very hearty, very flavorful, and all natural! So glad we found this recipe. Is a fantastic main dish or works well to bring as a side dish to a potluck.