Vegetable Beef Casserole

From "Cooking a la Heart"- Delicious Heart Healthy Recipes from the Mankato Heart Health Program, 1988.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 9x13 inch baking pan

Ingredients

• 1  lb lean ground beef
• 1  egg white
• 1  cup  breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2⁄3 cup skim milk
• 5  ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 -3  zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1  medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1  medium green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 (6 ounce) can no-added-salt tomato paste
• 1 (8 ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
•  fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 cup  shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1  cup  shredded part-skim farmer cheese

Directions

1. Mix together ground beef, egg white, bread crumbs, garlic powder and milk.
2. Pat into a 9x13 inch baking dish- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; pour off any accumulated fat.
3. Spread spinach over meat.
4. Layer zucchini over spinach and onion and green pepper over zucchini.
5. Mix together tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, basil, oregano and pepper.
6. Pour over layered casserole.
7. Cover with foil and return to oven.
8. Bake until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
9. During last 10 minutes of baking time, remove foil and top with shredded cheeses.