Recipe: Healthy Lasagna
This is a great recipe to cook for girlfriends and boyfriends alike - hearty enough for the boys, and healthy enough for the girls. I’ve adapted it slightly from Ellie Krieger of the Food Network…it seems long and annoying but it’s very easy and fun to assemble - the hardest part is waiting for it to bake. Here’s what you’ll need:
9x13 baking dish
12 oz (about 15 noodles) whole wheat or enriched lasagna noodles (no-boil, if you can find them)
8 oz lean ground beef (90% lean or higher) or turkey
2 tsp olive oil
8 oz (about 3 caps) portobello mushrooms, diced into 1-inch pieces
4 C marinara sauce (your favorite store brand*, or make your own if you are feeling brave!)
15 oz (give or take, 1 container) part skim or skim ricotta cheese
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained OR fresh, chopped spinach (swiss chard could also be used, or whatever dark leafy green you like)
1 egg
Pinch nutmeg
1/4 c. grated parmesan
about 2/3 c. part-skim mozzarella cheese (or a little more, however cheesy you like the top of your lasagna to be)
S&P
Preheat oven to 375.
Add the beef to a large nonstick skillet and brown over medium-high heat, breaking up the beef and making sure all the pink is gone. Remove from heat. In another skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and brown. Add the beef to the pan, and stir in 2 cups of the marinara sauce, and let simmer. Boil the noodles according to the directions (if needed), drain, and lay flat on a cookie sheet.
Combine ricotta, spinach, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg into a bowl, combine well. Taste and season as needed.
Now, the assembly begins:
- Spread 1 cup or so of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
- Place a layer of noodles over the sauce.
- Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles with a rubber spatula.
- Add another layer of noodles.
- Add half of the beef-mushroom sauce.
- Add another layer of noodles.
- Add the remaining half of the ricotta mixture.
- Add another layer of noodles.
- Add the remaining half of the beef.
- Add the final layer of noodles.
- Add the rest of the marinara sauce.
- Top the sauce generously with the parmesan and mozarella.
I forgot that final layer of sauce, so my lasagna was just a touch dry. So many steps! If this happens to you, just pour a little around the edges before you bake it (or, pull it out of the oven and add some). Cover it with tinfoil and bake for 45 minutes. Then for an additional 15 minutes, bake it uncovered. Let cool and enjoy with a big fat glass of your favorite red wine.
*Be sure to pick a good one. I like Mario Batali’s, but they tend to be a little higher in fat. Rao’s are great, too. Whatever you decide on, just make sure you taste it before you use it! If it’s tasting a little bland, tear up some basil or add some chile pepper flakes to jazz it up - two easy ways to inject flavor without extra calories or fat.
