Lasagna Recipes

PREP TIME -50 Min
COOK TIME -45 Min
READY IN -1 Hr 35 Min

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pound eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 1/2 pound medium fresh mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 3 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
- 2 sweet red pepper, cut lenthwise into 6 pieces each
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) container reduced-fat ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup egg substitute
- 1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
%u2022 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Coat two 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place eggplant and mushrooms on a prepared pan. Place the zucchini and red pepper on the second pan. Combine the oil and garlic; brush over both sides of vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn vegetables over. Bake 15 minutes longer. Remove eggplant and mushrooms. Bake zucchini and red pepper 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are browned.

2. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg substitute. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with four lasagna noodles (noodles will overlap slightly), half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of vegetables, a third of pasta sauce and 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with half of basil. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles and pasta sauce.

3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Nutritional Analysis:

1 piece equals 361 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 31 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 19 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 fat.

PREP TIME - 45 Min
COOK TIME - 1 Hr 45 Min
READY IN - 2 Hrs 30 Min

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 12 ounces cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until brown. Drain. In another skillet over medium heat, cook onion until translucent. Combine beef and onion in a large saucepan with tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

2. While sauce is simmering, blend cottage cheese, Parmesan and egg until smooth. Set aside.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

5. Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover sauce with 3 noodles. Cover noodles with one-third of remaining sauce. Top with half the mozzarella. Place another layer of noodles and one of sauce over the mozzarella; top that with the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining sauce.

6. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top and bake 15 minutes more, until golden and bubbly.

PREP TIME - 30 Min
COOK TIME - 2 Hrs 30 Min
READY IN - 3 Hrs 15 Min

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

"An non-gluggly, healthy lasagna recipe where vegetables rule! You could also make this a full vegetarian version by omitting the ground beef and substituting TVP or finely diced mixed vegetables (zucchini, carrot, celery, onion)."

PREP TIME - 45 Min
COOK TIME - 1 Hr
READY IN - 1 Hr 45 Min

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pound peeled and seeded pumpkin, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 bay leaves

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach
- 1 (16 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
- 12 dry lasagna noodles
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a saucepan with 1/2 inch of water, then add pumpkin pieces. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and steam until the pumpkin is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain pumpkin, then mash with 1 tablespoon butter, cinnamon; salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste just begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk gradually so that no lumps form. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the bay leaves, and reduce heat to low or warm. Allow to gently cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, then remove from heat.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, fennel, and garlic; cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Scrape mixture into a large bowl, and mix well with ricotta cheese and nutmeg.

4. Using the same skillet, heat another 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Brown ground beef in oil, mixing thoroughly to break into small pieces. Once browned, reduce heat to medium-low and pour off excess grease. Stir in tomato paste and tomato puree. Gently simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch lasagna dish.

6. Line the bottom of the lasagna dish with 4 noodles, do not overlap. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over noodles, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Place another 4 noodles on top of the ricotta, then spread with evenly with the mashed pumpkin. Place the remaining 4 noodles on top of the pumpkin and top with the tomato sauce; sprinkle with another 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Stir the white sauce until smooth, then discard the bay leaves; pour the sauce over top of the lasagna. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

7. Place lasagna dish onto a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch any spills). Bake in preheated oven until the noodles have softened, and the white sauce has turned bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.