healthier low cal lasagna?? but still YUMMY??

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Okay so the low cal lasagna part is probably an oxymoron lol. A friend of mine's baby just came out of surgery in the hospital and I wanted to drop off some lasagna for the family this weekend. I also wanted to make one for my family

Soooo my issue is I can't make something all veg and nonfat/low fat cheese as my hubby probably wont eat it (I on the other hand would LOVE it) And I want to make a "normal" lasagna for my friends family. So I need a traditional type lasagna recipie that is maybe more on the healthier side.

My plan is to use extra lean meat and homemade sauce (to control sodium ect) but any other ideas of things I can substitute?? Cottage cheese is good for you right?? what about ricotta??

I of course plan on controlling my protion size and adding a LARGE garden salad to my meals to help with my calorie count.

Thanks in advance everyone :)

Replies

  • kingnatalie
    kingnatalie Posts: 163
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    I would stick to Cottage Cheese, You could add spinach to the mix, that is always good. Low Fat cheese for the top, the fat free cheese melts hard on the top if you use that kind, it is perfect if you add cheese in between the layers, but is not as nice for the top. Try to find some wheat lasagna noodles if you can.
  • youngs
    youngs Posts: 250 Member
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    use wheat noodles..can not tell the diffrence and make sure to add green peppers and onions and mushrooms(if you like) and you can even add shredded carrots(then chop them very fine and they will not know) then add a can of tomatos(low sodium) to your sauce..MMMmmm sounds good!! (dont top off with cheese cause it will get hard..save a little sauce for when it comes out of the oven then add to top again then if you want cheese sprinkle cheese on it then and cover for few it will melt)
  • czar1978
    czar1978 Posts: 83
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    I use whole grain pasta, reduce the amount of cheese, and add a ton of veggies. You can incorporate zucchini, eggplant, spinach, mushrooms--anything you like.

    I get a lot of my recipes from MyRecipes.com. You can do a recipe search and then sort by dietary consideration (vegetarian, diabetic, etc.) and by publication (I always look at Cooking Light recipes.)

    Here is a link to lasagna recipes from MyRecipes.com that came from Cooking Light.

    http://search.myrecipes.com/search.html?D=lasagna&sid=12752D6E213C&Ntt=lasagna&Ntk=main&internalid=endeca_dimension&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=4294967281&Nty=1

    Have fun!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    My lasagna which makes 9x13 pan:

    Whole wheat noodles - box
    Ricotta made with skim (could use cottage chz) - 16 oz
    Fat Free Mozzerella Grated - 12 oz
    93/7 Lean Ground Beef 1.25 pound
    1 egg
    garlic/basil/oregano (seasonings as desired)
    Bertolli all natural Spagetti Sauce - jar
    Reduced fat Parmesan Cheese-grated

    Brown beef and add sauce. Season to taste.
    Mix egg and spices with Ricotta.
    Boil noodles per directions.
    Layer in pan starting with a light layer of sauce first and ending with cheese on top.
    Cover with foil.
    Bake at 350 for 45 mins, the last 15 minutes without foil.

    I entered to Spark People and came up with the following stats:

    1 serving = 1/8 of large lasagne pan (9x13)

    Calories - 361
    Fat - 10g
    Sodium - 696mg
    Carb - 31g
    Protein - 32 g
    Fiber - 4 g
    Sugar - 2 g
  • ashdav2010
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    Kraft has a really good lasagna that I personally like. If you go to their website it's called Simply Lasagna. I have a picky husband and he loves it! I believe it is 330 calories per piece, and 1 pan makes 12 decent sized pieces. Hope this helps!
  • mama22girlz
    mama22girlz Posts: 291
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    Thanks for the suggestions, Its going to have to wait now though, now I am the one at the hospital with my little one (stomach virus) so maybe I need to find someone to make me two lasagna's one for me and one for my friend LOL. I think I'll make it when I get home.