Category — Casseroles

Lasagna does have to take half your evening to prepare! And you can choose to use ingredients that will make it healthier and lower calorie than the traditional recipes that I was accustomed to having when I grew up. The recipe I am sharing here calls for adding spinach rather than meat or sausage. However, you could choose to use extra lean ground meat instead.

(My apologies for the video clip not fitting well in my blog theme!)

Something else that is new to me are the “no boil” lasagna noodles. I wonder if it is possible to get this kind of noodle in whole wheat? Probably not (oh well…it would be nice). Something else the recipe calls for is ricotta cheese. If you like ricotta great! If not, you can always substitute cottage cheese as I do. I look for the 2% cottage cheese to save on calories (1% or less cottage cheese can get a little dry). I would also recommend buying low fat mozzarella (may not melt as nicely as the higher fat mozzarella but it’s another good way to keep the calorie count down.)

If you have just a little extra time, you might want to use fresh spinach instead of the frozen package. Fresh packaged spinach is available year round where I live in the Midwest. Hopefully you can buy it year round also. All you would need to do is wash off the spinach leaves. Drain well and dry off with a salad spinner or paper towel. Then very lightly heat the spinach in a skillet with a little olive oil (1-2 tsp.) till the spinach is slightly wilted. I guarantee you will like this much better than the frozen stuff!!

Good luck. Happy lasagna making!

[UPDATE: After visiting a number of forums and reading what other people had to say about "no boil" lasagna noodles, I learned that these noodles are getting a mixed response. That is, some people rave about them and others don't like them at all. I also learned that there is indeed a whole wheat "no boil" lasagna noodle available. Gia Russa Whole Wheat Egg Lasagna, 9-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12) I'll have to give these a try sometime!]