Low Fat Lasagna

Tish's Note:

This recipe proves that you can eat your favorite Italian food without worrying about the fat! It can be made vegetarian by omitting the ground beef, doubling the amount of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 1 (28 ounce) jar reduced-fat spaghetti sauce (you choose brand)
• 1 (16 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
• 2 eggs
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles (*any brand, don't boil, they will cook in oven)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly oil bottom of baking pan.
3. Stir one cup of the chicken stock into the spaghetti sauce and set aside.
4. Whisk the egg.
5. Stir in ricotta cheese and one cup of the mozzarella.
6. Add garlic, salt and pepper and set aside.
7. Brown and drain the ground beef making sure to break it into very small pieces.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Cook the spinach until it is half done, approximately two-thirds of the time indicated on the microwave directions.
10. Sauté the onion in 1/2 cup chicken stock until it is translucent.
11. Cook the mushrooms in the remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock adding the soy sauce and vinegar.
12. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
13. Mix together beef, spinach, onions and mushrooms.
14. Build the lasagna starting with a layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
15. *Add one layer of the uncooked noodles followed by more sauce, 1/3 of the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the spinach/beef mixture.
16. Repeat two more times, finishing off with the spinach mixture and the remaining sauce.
17. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until liquid around the edges has been absorbed.
18. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top and bake for 15 minutes more.
19. To freeze: Bake, cool, wrap well, and label. freeze up to 2 months. *Note: You can assemble and freeze without cooking and cook on the day to be eaten!
20. To serve, defrost overnight and then bake until warmed through, or bake from frozen for 1 hour and a half.

Reviews

[Pat Peper]

Fantastic. Only change that I made was adding 2 oz of brandy to ground beef mixtures. My Dad, who is a very light eater had seconds. It is a good thing that I made a double recipe.

[Chef #1369295]

Loved this! I browned 1lb of extra lean beef and seasoned with Italian spices. Combined 1/2 lb of the beef with other veggies, filled the rest in when I was layering and needed more coverage. Next time will definitely use the whole 32 oz of pasta sauce to layer, was a little drier than my taste. For those of you who are following the nutrition facts on the size, they are a little skewed because the ricotta cheese isn't factored in. Wonderful dish that will be made again and again- Thank you!

[Misimooo]

An absolute fav of mine, I love this recipe, even my fussy eater of a son eats it!!!! Highly recommend it! Love love love!!!!!!!!!