A Boombastic Gluten Free Italian Bake Recipe!

Tonight is probably the first time I've been alone in over three months . . . AND IT'S EFFIN' AMAZING. As much as I love having my Lars to come home to, I've got to get some me time every once in awhile. TONIGHT IS ALL ABOUT ME. After work, I scurried off to Anthea Yoga and Healing Center, and had an AMAZING class with Melissa. In fact, I was the only one there tonight so I got a private session. It was so relaxing, and I even got into a headstand (against the wall, but still that's not bad!) And just so you know - they are running a special until the 15th - 10 class card for only $69!

Then I got home and started making my dinner. I picked up some cabbage and Swiss chard from the produce stand last night, and I knew these would make the perfect base for my Italian inspired bake. Seriously, who needs pasta when you have this stuff! This is a great alternative if you're looking to cut out gluten, or up your green intake. I MADE THIS RECIPE UP OUT OF MY BRAIN BITCHES. Recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 small green cabbage (about one lb)
3 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves
1 large yellow onion
1 large green pepper
1 8 oz pack of sliced baby portobello mushrooms
4 cloves of fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 Parmesan cheese
12 oz. tomato pasta sauce of your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
Pinch of Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Start by chopping the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Add to a saute pan with the olive oil and cook until onions start to become tender. Add the red chili flakes, Italian seasoning and mushrooms, and continue to cook until onions are translucent. Add the pasta sauce to the vegetables and simmer on low. Add salt and pepper to taste (you won't need much if you use a prepared pasta sauce). Meanwhile, coarsely chop the cabbage and Swiss chard leaves. Throw away the cabbage core. Place the cabbage and Swiss Chard into a glass baking dish. Pour the sauce mixture over the cabbage and Swiss Chard. Add the ricotta cheese and half of the Parmesan. Mix everything together in the dish until the cabbage and chard are covered in sauce and ricotta. Flatten the mixture with a spoon, and sprinkle the top of the dish with mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until cabbage is tender but still has a little bite to it. For a crunchy topping, put the dish in the broiler for an additional 3-5 minutes.

It's ballin', and the best part, GLUTEN FREE! If you're avoiding wheat this is a great alternative that's still super hearty and similar to a pasta bake. You may want to add ground meat to the sauce as well. I found that the mushrooms were enough for me. NOTE: It does get a little watery because of the moisture the greens release. Try not to add too much sauce the casserole for this reason.