Any lasagna recipe?

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Francl27
Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
in Recipes
I'm looking for a 'light' lasagna recipe... I know I could just pick one and change everything to low fat, but I'd rather try and see if someone has a recipe they really like first.

MUST HAVE MEAT. And real noodles. And ricotta cheese (but I'll use fat free probably). I want lasagna, not some pseudo-lasagna.

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    Are you okay with GF noodles? I always make mine with them and it comes out deliciously!


    Consider experimenting and make your own! Try with extra lean ground chicken or turkey for an alternative!
  • Holly_belle
    Holly_belle Posts: 4,042 Member
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    This is the recipe I used last time I made lasagna

    http://recipes.menshealth.com/Recipe/hearty-lasagna-ii.aspx

    Came out perfect. My carb avoiding best friend even ate it :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    There's only so much lightening up you can do with those parameters. Definitely use leaner meat and try to use less of it (calorie dense). Same goes with the pasta, use less noodles - I know some folks put in 3 or more layers but I think 2 is just fine. Use lower fat cheeses - fat free is gross IMHO. Make your own tomato sauce to cut down on fat content as some jarred stuff has a lot of oil in it. I make one with petite diced or crushed tomatoes and add a ton of veggies - mushrooms, 2-3 bell peppers, onion, garlic, spinach, sometimes carrots and/or zucchini. My brother puts broccoli in his. And of course add plenty of spices to compensate for the lower fat foods (fat adds flavor). Mix it up, have fun!
  • jlynnm70
    jlynnm70 Posts: 460 Member
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    My husband made me lasagna two days ago - he's a chef - and I can't give you exacts on the stuff he put in it but here goes.

    1# Ground turkey instead of ground beef
    Fat Free Ricotta cheese - 1 container (pint I think)
    added mushrooms, spinach and onions to the filling along with the tomato sauce.
    1 package lasagna noodles - (regular - nothing special or fancy about them)
    There were 3 layers of noodles and 2 layers of filling. Noodle, filling, noodle, filling, ricotta, noodle, then
    Topped with 2% mozzerella

    The 10x15 pan cut into 12 pieces came to about 300 calories a serving.
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    Sometimes I make my own sauce and sometimes I buy a jar of sauce. You can squeak by with 32 ounces of sauce, but 48 is nice.

    Lynne's Green & Red Lasagna

    6 cups Spaghetti sauce
    1 large egg
    1 large egg white (about 2 tablespoons)
    1 package (about 10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
    2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
    1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    8 ounces dry lasagna noodles
    1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

    In a medium-size bowl, beat egg and egg white to blend; stir in spinach,
    cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepper, and nutmeg.

    Spread a fourth of the spaghetti sauce in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish; top
    with a third of the uncooked lasagna noodles. Spoon on a third of the
    spinach mixture. Repeat layers of sauce, lasagna, and spinach mixture until
    all ingredients are used; end with sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
    Cover tightly. (At this point, you may refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

    Bake, covered, in a 375-degree F oven until lasagna noodles are tender to
    bite (about 1 hour; about 1 1/2 hours if refrigerated). Let stand, covered,
    for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
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    The way that I lighten mine up is to use my own homemade marinara sauce (with TONS of veggies and anchovies as my secret ingredient), take away half the meat and fill it with chopped mushrooms (it still tastes super meaty), make my own pasta so that I can roll it out so that it's paper thin, use half the recommended cheese and melt it in a simple bechamel so that it spreads more evenly and thinly in the layers, and I also cut that bechamel in half and add some pureed cauliflower to fill it up. It's always a hit and I get compliments on it every time I make it. It's even past the kid test, which I'm rather proud of.
  • lask722
    lask722 Posts: 6 Member
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    Epicurious.com has one in their database called "Lean Lasagna". It's been in my recipe box for a while but I haven't tested it yet so I can't really speak for it. That said, the site itself is a pretty reliable source for delicious, working recipes. I've honestly made over 200 recipes from epicurious and very few of them were duds. Hope this helps, good luck!
  • JackieAC1951
    JackieAC1951 Posts: 94 Member
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    I know you said real noodles, but I thin slice zucchini lengthwise (with a meat slicer) which I season with salt,pepper, garlic, and I broil until slightly brown. I will layer with cooked ground turkey/spaghetti sauce and cottage cheese (with added egg, garlic, and pepper). I lay on the different spices, oregano, parsley, etc.
  • flakydiane
    flakydiane Posts: 5 Member
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    Sauce:
    1 Onion; chopped
    2 Cloves Garlic; crushed
    28 ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
    16 ounce Can diced Tomatoes
    6 ounce Can Tomato Paste
    ¼ cub Fresh Parsley; minced
    1 tablespoon Packed Light Brown Sugar
    1 teaspoon Salt
    1 ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
    ¼ teaspoon Dried Thyme
    1 Bay Leaf
    1 Whole Stalk Celery; leavesremoved
    2 cub Water
    Simmer for 2-3 hours

    Brown half of a pound of hot italian sausage; add to sauce
    Boil 8 oz. lasagna
    Mix in skim milk to ricotta to a nice spreading consistancy (that way you don't have to use the whole pound)
    Layer noodles, sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella, twice.
    Bake 9x13 pan, covered for 45 min. at 350, uncover for another 15 min.

    This is based on the Lodestone Lasagna in the Creme de Colorado cookbook.
    It can be modified in any way, but it is hands down the best lasagna recipe i've ever made. The hot sausage is key for big flavor. It won't be too spicy, because you only use 1/2 a pound.
    Enjoy!

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