Yes yes, paleo is all the craze. But in all seriousness, I’ve been looking for ways to up my protein intake and cut down on my carbs (just a little bit). I found this great recipe over on What Runs Lori, and decided to test it out. Technically, it’s “primal,” not “paleo,” because it has dairy. But whatevs.

{forgive my crummy phone photo…it’s not the most photogenic meal!}

The result? A huge protein punch, albeit a little bit bland. It was pretty easy to make, too! I’ve made a few adaptations, as you will find below. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 white onion, diced
1 pound of extra lean turkey or ground chicken
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp Italian spice blend
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound of zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into long thin strips
1/2 cup low fat ricotta or goat cheese
2 cups nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
1 head broccoli, roughly chopped
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg beater

Directions

In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the diced onions. Sautee on medium-high until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the ground turkey or chicken, canned tomato and tomato paste, spices, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. Continue to cook all ingredients until the turkey is cooked through. Set aside when done.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Greek yogurt, broccoli pieces, and egg. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 Pyrex glass baking dish. Place a layer of zucchini and squash rounds evenly across the bottom, making a sort of liner.

Add a layer of turkey-tomato sauce on top of the zucchini. Top that with some of the broccoli and yogurt mixture. Continue with this layering process until you have used all of your ingredients.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.