When I first came across Cassy Joy of Fed & Fit over on Instagram years ago, I was immediately drawn to her energy and positivity, as it truly shines through everything that she does. I had the complete joy of finally meeting her in person this past summer, and I can tell you, she’s just as wonderful as you could ever imagine! She’s a total class act.
I was so stoked to hear that Cassy was coming out with her first book – Fed & Fit Book – a 28-day food & fitness plan to jump-start your life! This GORGEOUS book is loaded with 400 pages of easy to read information to help you succeed in your health journey, over 175 squeaky-clean paleo recipes (actually 190 recipes!), workouts, meal plans, nutrition facts, and the science behind it all! She begins the book with her own story, discussing how she found true health and happiness after years of searching, and why she created her 28-day Fed & Fit project to help you change your own life.
Cassy digs deep into her 4 Pillars of Health – mindset, sleep and hydration, food, and fitness. She gives you practical ways to apply each of these steps into your own life to create lasting change. I LOVE that mindset is the first of the 4 pillars, because if you know me, you know that I’m a HUGE believer that having a positive mindset is incredibly important, and that it’s the key to lasting success for anything you choose to do in life.
Cassy dedicated an entire chapter to “simple meal components”, which take only 5 ingredients and 5 steps or less. Who doesn’t love easy, delicious meals?! She even developed an app to make it super easy to scan in codes from the book that will create a grocery list for you! I mean, does it get any cooler?! Cassy truly empowers you to take back control over your own life, knowing that we all deserve the opportunity to feel our best.
I know, by now your mind is blown with how much love Cassy poured into this book! And to top it all off, Juli Bauer from PaleOMG partnered up to create the fitness section of this book, which includes workouts, warm-ups and post-workout mobility! If you’re feeling confused by what any of the movements in the workouts are, Cassy and Juli even added step-by-step images so you’ll know exactly what to do.
If you follow me on Instagram, don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the Fed & Fit Book that I’ll be sharing tomorrow morning (Thursday, December 15th)! You AND the friend you tag will each win a copy!
Now, onto the recipe for this Eggplant Lasagna! You aren’t gonna believe how DELICIOUS this is, but you will once you make it! My husband and I both loved this recipe and have been enjoying it for the past several days. It’s been a lifesaver to have on hand during an awesomely scheduled week! This Eggplant Lasagna will definitely be a part of my meal rotation…the coconut milk ‘béchamel” is to die for!
I hope you enjoyed reading my review of this incredible book and love the recipe for this Eggplant Lasagna from Cassy Joy!
Eggplant Lasagna + Fed & Fit 28-Day Food & Fitness Guide Book Review
Equipment
- Stovetop
- Oven
Ingredients
Red Sauce
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/2 small onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds hot Italian sausage, removed from casings if using links
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 12 ounces tomato puree or tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided*
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Béchamel
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 13.5 ounce can can full-fat coconut milk, chilled*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- To make the red sauce: Melt the tablespoon of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, until fragrant. Empty the onion and garlic mixture into a bowl.
- Add the sausage to the pot, break it up with a spoon, and cook over high heat until the sausage starts to crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain the fat by pouring the sausage into a colander, then return the meat to the pot.
- Return the onion and garlic mixture to the pot with the sausage. Add the drained diced tomatoes, tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and then cover and set aside over low heat while you make the béchamel.
- To make the béchamel: Melt the tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan. Once melted, whisk in the coconut milk, coconut butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To assemble the lasagna: Place a layer of eggplant noodles in a 9 by 13-inch or similar-sized baking dish. Cover the noodles with about ¼ cup of the béchamel, followed by several full ladles of the red sauce. Repeat until all of the noodles are used up. For the final layer, place the sliced tomatoes across the top, then drizzle any remaining béchamel over the top. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes so that the juices can settle back down. Serve warm, garnished with fresh basil.
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This was delicious!! Even my 3 year old asked for seconds…which NEVER happens. Next time, I will cut up my veggies before I start. Also, mine was a bit watery and it boiled over in the oven even after draining the sausage and diced tomatoes. Any recommendations for next time? I put foil down once it started to make my house smokey. So next time I will place either foil down before I start or place the casserole dish on a rimmed cookie tray. But this is definitely something I will make again!! Thanks for the great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kristen! I dig your name too 😉 Hmmm, I didn’t have that issue, but I’m thinking it could possibly be the eggplant that created moisture. Since this isn’t my recipe (it’s Cassy Joy’s from Fed and Fit), I’m only making guesses – but next time you could try placing the eggplant in a single layer on paper towels and salting it beforehand. Salt will help to draw out any extra moisture. After the eggplant sits for a bit I would press them with paper towels to get out any extra water, before layering the lasagna. I hope that helps!
Are you supposed to use just the cream from the refrigerated coconut milk?
Hi Abby! It’s been so long since I’ve made this (the recipe is straight from the book), but I do remember just using the coconut cream, not the water at the bottom. The sauce is sooo good! 🙂
Thats what I figured, just wanted to double check! I’m going to make this for in-laws this weekend. Thank you!
Yay! Hope you love it, Abby! <3