Lasagna after Bariatric Surgery

After bariatric surgery, you have to educate your stomach again.  You also have to reeducate your mind when it comes to eating.  While I would love to believe that I could continue to eat my beloved Italian pasta, I am now realizing that I just won't be able to indulge in that ever again.  I can have a few strands of spaghetti or a couple pieces of shaped pasta, but it will never be a "meal" for me again.  That said, I still love the flavor of lasagna.  When I was on blended foods, my favorite dish was deconstructed lasagna (basically ricotta cheese topped with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella).  Yesterday, when I was at the Murray Hill Market, I found some beautiful early zucchini's and decided to make a noodle-less lasagna.  To make it even easier and not heat up my apartment, I decided to make it in my crockpot.

Crockpot Noodle-less Meatball Lasagna

• 2 medium zucchini
• salt
• 1 small bunch beet greens*
• 16 oz ricotta cheese (part-skim)
• 2 cups mozzarella, split
• 1 egg*
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 6 small meatballs
• 2 cups homemade marinara

Slice zucchini 1/8 inch thick and lay out on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt and let sweat for 30 minutes.  blot zucchini slices with paper towels. Wash and tear beet greens into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, egg, 1 cup of mozzarella and parmesan.

Cover bottom of crock with marinara.  Layer zucchini slices over sauce.  Break up 2 meatballs over zucchini and spoon sauce over meatballs.  Layer ricotta over meatballs and sauce, followed by beet greens.  Repeat layers 2 times ending with a layer of zucchini and sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.  Cover and cook 3 hours on HIGH.  Reduce heat to LOW until vegetables are soft.

*CSA ingredients