Nettle Lasagna. It’s one dish I make several times in the spring. Nettles are high in iron and many micronutrients including calcium, manganese, magnesium, selenium, zinc, and potassium. As I’m a big fan of getting the medicine of plants to the people in a way they will take them, nettle lasagna is a tasty way to get the health giving benefits of nettles into your family and friends. It’s always a crowd pleaser! Nettle lasagna can be made in advance and frozen, or freeze leftovers (if there are any!) in single serving containers for nutrient dense lunches.
This recipe is from scratch. You can use a jar of spaghetti sauce from the grocery store, but try making the homemade spaghetti sauce. The taste is more than amazing, and not at all hard to make.
Tomato Sauce
8-10 large heirloom tomatoes – cored, seeded, and chopped
1 medium onion – chopped
2 – 4 garlic cloves – chopped
2 bay leaves
6 – 8 fresh shiitake, cremini, or reishi mushrooms – chopped
1 cup fresh basil – chopped
1 Tbsp. each fresh oregano, sage, thyme – minced
1 1/2 tsp. nettle salt (see herb salt recipe) or sea salt
1/2 tsp. kelp – crushed
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup parsley – minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground beef or pork sausage (or ½ lb. each) – browned. Optional, but super yummy
Toss all ingredient in a heavy pot. Simmer on medium low, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced substantially. This should take about 3 hours.
6 cups fresh spring nettles – chopped
1 lb. mozzarella – shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 – 1 lb. goat or sheep feta cheese – crumbled
6 lasagna noodles – boiled and drained
Layer a pan with sauce, cooked lasagna noodles, sauce, nettles, cheeses, noodles, sauce, nettles, ending with cheeses as the final topping.
Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes covered, then uncovered for 15 minutes or until bubbly all the way through Enjoy!
About the Author:
Suzanne Tabert, bioregional herbalist, is director of herbal education and herbal mentor at the Cedar Mountain Herb School. An herbal medicine instructor for 30 years, Suzanne teaches with great passion and excitement, bringing her wealth of herbal knowledge to students in an engaging and vibrant manner. She is the primary instructor at CMHS and an adjunct faculty at Bastyr University. Taking students to wild places and giving them tools to engage and connect with flora, fauna, and the exquisite beauty of nature is the icing on the cake of life, and one way that Suzanne is making a difference in the world, one person, one group at a time. She is currently writing a wildcrafting book that will be able to be utilized by people of all walks of life who wish to take their health back into their own hands. Cedar Mountain Herb School is a member of the American Herbalists Guild and the American Herb Association.