Sunday, November 13, 2011

Tips from my Fav. Trainer

You'll Love This Lasagna

Pasta doesn't have to be unhealthy — this low-fat lasagna recipe brings a whole lot of flavor for very little calorie count. Don't worry, it's still cheesy, delicious, and filled with onions, spinach, and mushrooms. Think of it as restaurant style, without all of the fat! If you can, use whole-wheat pasta to make this healthy recipe even healthier! Low-Fat Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
  • 9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin (optional)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 tablespoon salt
  • 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained thoroughly
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 2 cups meatless tomato sauce
  • 15 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and cover with cool water until ready to use.
While pasta is cooking, combine onions and oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Spoon out half the onions and reserve for later. Add the mushrooms (if using) to the onions in the skillet. Cook, stirring over medium heat, until the mushrooms are tender and slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the parsley and a pinch of salt; transfer to a bowl.
Add the reserved cooked onion and the spinach to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat to evaporate any excess moisture, about 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt.
Heat oven to 350° F. Drain the lasagna and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the oregano and basil with the tomato sauce. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 3-inch pan. Arrange 3 lasagna pieces, slightly overlapping, in the pan. Spoon the spinach mixture on top in an even layer. Spread with half of the ricotta. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Arrange a layer of 3 more lasagna pieces. Spread with the mushrooms, the remaining ricotta mixture, and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella. Top with the remaining 3 pieces of lasagna, 1 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Makes 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 243
Total Fat: 7.7 g
Cholesterol: 23.7 mg
Sodium: 228 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 29.9 g
Protein: 15.1 g

Recipes Source: National Pasta Association
JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY

Try This Superfood: Spinach

Leafy greens like spinach are full of vitamin B, making them huge heart-disease fighters. They also boast plenty of calcium and potassium, which along with magnesium help to maintain correct fluid and blood pressure levels in the body. Other greens like romaine lettuce and turnip greens offer similar benefits and are also particularly high in vitamin C.


Keep Crunchin´, Ladies!!

Dani Joy

5 comments:

Sarah DeSalvo said...

That sounds delicious! We can't get frozen spinach here but we can get a leafy vegetable that is similar to spinach. Do you think that measuring 10 oz of the fresh spinach would be the same as a 10 oz package? Hmm....

Yeah, I need to figure out more ways to use spinach, especially ways that my family will actually eat! And not recipes like "creamed spinach", either! Although I am sure it is delicious! :-)

Sarah W. said...

I was thinking the same Sarah....you could probably just incorporate around the same amount....give or take a bit. This does look like a pretty easy meal and it looks yummy!

I'll post a recipe that my friend gave me that involves spinach (or something similar) and chicken and my children even eat it! I don't have it on my right this moment but I'll add it in next week.

Unknown said...

Not sure about the frozen to fresh, Sarah. We have to look into that.

There is a lentle recipe on here with fresh spinich! It´s fabulous.

Great commenting ladies! ;)

Dani Joy

Sarah W. said...

ooh, I will have to check out that one Dani Joy. I am always looking for ways to incorporate lentils as they are cheap here and easy to get and good for you.

Siberia said...

The lentil soup recipe is now one of our family favorites. I have also made it with chicken, as opposed to the ground beef, and it is good that way as well. We can't usually get spinach, so I've only made it with spinach once. My family prefers it without the spinach.

Tami