Recipe Redo: Lasagna -- Cheesy, Gluten-free Lasagna

Here's a recipe that is dairy-free and gluten-free AND believe it or not, really delicious. This is not a vegan recipe because we used ground turkey to satisfy a 5-year old who eats spinach plain, but prefers not to see flecks of vegetables in his other food. I will be working on a vegan version and will blog about it at a later time.

The cheesy sauce contains nutritional yeast which has a cheesy flavor. That is what makes even the pickiest eaters in my family like this dish. This recipe contains a cup of cashews which can be bad for those with tree nut allergies. The cashews add most of the fat in this dish. There isn't as much saturated fat as regular lasagna, but it is not a low-fat dish.

"Cheesy" Lasagna 
(gluten-free and dairy-free)

2 pounds ground turkey
1  26-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce (wheat-free)
1 recipe of Cheesy Sauce (recipe follows)
1 10-ounce package of soaked brown rice lasagna noodles (we prefer Tinkyada, but use DeBoles when we can't find Tinkyada noodles)
1/2 cup water
1 cup Daiya mozzarella-style shredded soy cheese

Make one recipe of "Cheesy Sauce." This sauce can be made up to several days beforehand and stored in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Don't cook the rice noodles beforehand. Instead, lay the noodles in a dish and cover with boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. While the noodles are soaking, brown the turkey in a non-stick pan. Add spaghetti sauce and cook for about eight minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Noodles should be partially softened and the lasagna is ready to be assembled. In a 9 x 13 pan, pour 1/3 of the turkey mixture and top with noodles and then 1/2 of the Cheesy Sauce. Repeat layers until all is used up. Finish with mozzarella-style shredded soy cheese. Pour 1/2 cup of water around the edges of the assembled lasagna.

Cover with foil and back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Top and sides will be slightly browned.

Cool for 10 minutes and cut into squares. This also warms well in the microwave.

Cheesy Sauce 
(dairy-free)

2 cups water
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (large flake, non-gmo)
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients into a high-powdered blender jar and blend on high for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook on medium until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and cool before storing in refrigerator. Keeps for several days. This is a good cheese sauce substitute.