Lighter Lasagna Food

LIGHTER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Mix the spinach, cottage cheese, and egg in a large bowl.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and carrot until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey, and stir until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Pour the pasta sauce and water into the skillet. Season with rosemary,oregano, and basil. Simmer sauce for 10 minutes.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, and top with 3 noodles. Spoon an additional 1/3 of the sauce on the noodles; top with the spinach mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 3 noodles and the rest of the sauce. Pour the vegetable juice evenly over the lasagna, and top with the remaining mozzarella. Cover the dish with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

LIGHT LASAGNA

Steps:

• cook meat in a large saucepan over medium heat untilbrowned, stirring to crumble; drain and set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel.
• Coat pan with cooking spray; add onion and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes. Return meat to pan.
• Add 2 tablespoons parsley and next seven ingredients; bring to boil. Cover reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine 2 tablespoons parsley, cottage cheese and next 3 ingredients on a large bowl; stir well, and set aside.
• Spread 3/4 cup tomato mixture in bottom of a 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray.
• Arrange 4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 2 1/4 cups tomato mixture, and 2/3 cup provolone.
• Repeat layers ending with noodles. spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles. cover, bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
• Sprinkle with remaining provolone; bake, uncovered, for ten minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with oregano, if deisred.

LIGHTER WHITE SAUCE CHICKEN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low to medium heat and cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently.
• In a large bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, sautéed onions and garlic mixture, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, pepper, poultry seasoning, and 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, and all of the cubed chicken.
• In a 9x13 inch casserole dish start layering as follows: place 3 lasagna noodles at bottom of dish, and spread half of the chicken mixture over the noodles, 1/2 of the mushrooms, and 1/2 of the spinach. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of mozzarella over the top.
• Create another layer by repeating above step.
• Use last 3 noodles to cover the second layer, and spread the entire top of the lasagna with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan.
• When the layering is completed, cover with aluminum foil, making certain that the foil is not touching the top of the lasagna, and bake for 25 minutes @ 350 degree F (175 degrees C).
• Remove foil and continue baking, for another 15-20 minutes or until cheesee browns nicely.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving, so lasagna can set as cheese cools (I usually let it set overnight, to allow for easier cutting).
• Sprinkle parsley over dish before serving.
• (Can cut recipe in half and use a 8x8 pan as well. Freezes nicely!).

LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the hamburger, sausage and garlic until brown. Drain off the excess fat. Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir together well. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the olive oil and a dash of salt. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the noodles and lay them flat on a piece of aluminium foil to keep their shape.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grate the mozzarella cheese and set aside.
• Cut the basil into a chiffonade by stacking the leaves on top of one another, rolling them tightly and then cutting across. Finely chop the parsley. Add half the herbs to the meat mixture and stir together. In a medium bowl, combine the other half of the herbs, the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the eggs, and stir together well.
• Now let's assemble the lasagna! Begin by laying 4 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a deep rectangular baking pan; the noodles should slightly overlap. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture onto the noodles; spread to distribute evenly. Sprinkle half the mozzarella on top of the cottage cheese mixture. Spoon just under half the meat mixture on top of the mozzarella, and spread evenly, being careful not to disrupt the layers below. Now repeat the process, beginning with a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by the cottage cheese mixture, followed by the mozzarella and ending with a thick layer of the meat mixture.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over the top. Bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

LIGHTER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with any juices; simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup basil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir ricotta cheese in small saucepan over medium-low heat until just heated through. Add mozzarella cheese; stir just until melted, about 1 minute. Season to taste with pepper.
• Spoon 1/4 cup tomato sauce into bottom of each of 4 shallow bowls. Place 2 hot lasagna noodle halves side by side atop sauce in each bowl. Top with 1/4 of cheese mixture, then with 2 more noodle halves. Divide remaining sauce among bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining 2 tablespoons basil; serve.

LIGHT AND DELICIOUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with one teaspoon olive oil.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the turkey, mushrooms, basil, oregano, and black pepper; cook and stir until the turkey is no longer pink and the mushrooms have released their liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. Break the turkey meat into crumbles as it cooks. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and spinach. Cook, stirring often, until the spinach leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes; turn off burner.
• Mix the cottage cheese, egg whites, parsley, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
• Place 4 lasagna noodles into the prepared baking dish, overlapping if necessary, and pour half of the turkey mixture over the noodles. Spread half the zucchini slices over the meat sauce, and top with half of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread half of the mozzarella cheese over the cottage cheese layer. Repeat layers, starting with 4 more noodles, the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, cottage cheese mixture, and remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake the lasagna in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

HEALTHIER MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place noodles in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, and cover with hot tap water; set aside to soften.
• In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, eggplant, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sirloin, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato puree, and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season meat sauce with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Remove noodles from baking dish, discarding water.
• Spread about 1/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of dish, and top with 4 noodle halves. Layer with 1/3 cheese mixture, then 1/3 sauce. Repeat twice with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until lasagna is bubbling and cheese topping is golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

LIGHTER VEGETABLE LASAGNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the aubergine, courgette, pepper and onion in a large, shallow roasting tin. Scatter with the chilli flakes and season with pepper and a pinch of salt. Pour the oil over, toss together to coat (you can use your hands for this), then spread the vegetables out in a single layer. Roast for 15 mins, then give them a stir and spread them out again. Roast for another 10-15 mins until softened and turning golden.
• While the vegetables are roasting, make the tomato sauce. Tip the tomatoes into a medium pan, then pour 100ml water into the empty can, swirl it round and pour into the saucepan. Add the carrot and garlic, and simmer gently for 20-25 mins, partly covered with the lid and stirring occasionally, until the carrot is just tender. Stir in the tomato purée and the lentils, season with pepper and simmer for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil and set aside.
• Tip the spinach into a large heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water, press the leaves into the water and leave for 30 secs. Drain in a large colander and rinse under cold water briefly to cool it down quickly. Squeeze the spinach to remove the excess water, then roughly chop. Beat the egg in a bowl and stir in the ricotta, oregano, nutmeg and some pepper.
• Lay the lasagne sheets, spread well out, in a large shallow roasting tin and pour boiling water over to cover. Move them around with a wooden spoon to make sure they aren't sticking, then leave for 5 mins. ('No pre-cook' lasagne sheets benefit from a brief soaking, which improves the texture and makes them more pliable for layering in the dish.) Drain well and immediately separate them out to prevent them sticking.
• When the vegetables have finished roasting, lower the heat to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Spread a very thin layer of the tomato sauce (about 2 big spoonfuls) over the bottom of an ovenproof dish, about 25 x 18 x 7cm deep and 2 litres capacity. Lay 3 lasagne sheets across the width of the dish and spread over half of the remaining sauce and half of the roasted vegetables. Cover with 3 more lasagne sheets, then spread the spinach over the top and season with pepper. Put the ricotta mixture on top in spoonfuls and spread out over the spinach. Cover with the last 3 lasagne sheets. Spread over the rest of the tomato sauce and then the remaining roasted vegetables. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan to cover the vegetables and sauce as much as possible, then top with the cherry tomatoes. Season with pepper and lay a piece of foil loosely over the top. Can be made up to a day ahead and chilled - allow an extra few mins when baking the next day. Or freeze for up to 1 month and thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Bake for 35 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 5-10 mins until everything is bubbling around the edges. Scatter with oregano and basil leaves, and serve with a green salad.