Lighter Lasagna

It’s been so hot, well, everywhere the past few weeks and I haven’t been overly inspired to cook lately.  But for some reason, lasagna sounded good.  Mr. BKL found a recipe in an old (circa 2001, I guess that’s not that old) cookbook of mine for vegetable lasagna, but we decided to make it omnivorous by adding some lean ground beef.  I few other adaptations were made including the exclusion of mushrooms, whole wheat lasagna noodles, and the use of jarred pasta sauce instead of making it from scratch. And, since I always have 1% cottage cheese on hand, I decided to use 1/2 cup of it and 1/2 cup of low fat ricotta vs. the 1 cup called for. Just a little lighter and adds a little more protein.

The nice thing about this recipe is that it makes 6 servings in a 9x9 pan instead of a full 9x13 pan which leaves just the two of us with way too many leftovers. 

Lighter Lasagna
adapted from Vegetable Lasagna, Better Homes and Gardens Easy Everyday Cooking (Here’s a link to the newest version)

Ingredients
-6 whole wheat lasagna noodles
-1 cup zucchini or yellow summer squash, sliced and quartered
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 t. olive oil (optional)
-1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
-1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/4 t. black pepper
-2 cups pasta sauce, we used Prego Heart Smart
-1 cup part skim mozzarella
-1 lb. 90% lean or better ground beef


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Meanwhile, heat ground beef in large skillet. If you are using very lean beef, you may use optional olive oil.  When beef is just about cooked through, add onion and zucchini.  Cook until beef is cooked through and zucchini and onion are tender.

In a small bowl stir together ricotta, cottage, and parmesan cheeses and black pepper.

To assemble, place 3 lasagna noodles in a 9x9 or 8x8 square baking dish, trimming to fit as neccesary. Top with half the cheese mixture and spread evenly. You may need to use a spoon or knife for this.  Next add half the beef/veggie mixture, then half the pasta sauce, then half the mozzarella. Repeat with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, beef/veggie mixture and sauce. 

Bake for 30 minutes.  Add mozzarella on the top and bake for about 5 more minutes until melted.

We omitted 2 cups mushrooms, which can be added to the veggie mixture/beef if desired as well as 1 medium tomato, which can be added at the end of baking with the mozzarella cheese.

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 1769
Fat: 54g
Carbs: 135g
Protein: 144g

Per serving, makes 6 servings
Calories: 295
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 22.5g
Protein: 24g