Lasagna is one of those dishes that appeals to just about everyone. I mean, how can you not like layers of pasta, cheese and hearty tomato sauce? I found this recipe for a “healthier” version in one of my cookbooks and had to try it. Not only was it delicious, it made enough food that I ate it for lunch for almost a week! I shared it with a few friends and more than one person commented that it didn’t taste low-fat! If you’re looking for a recipe to get you through this windy week, I recommend you give this one a whirl:
Light Lasagna
Adapted from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, 2007 edition.
Sauce Ingredients:
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound 93 percent lean ground turkey (I used Jennie-O)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup fresh basil, minced
Pepper
Filling Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
12 ounces reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup fresh basil, minced
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (about one package)
Directions:
Process 1 can of tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until smooth, about 5 seconds. Combine the onion, oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a large nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste and pepper flakes and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in half of the ground turkey and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces until the meat loses its raw color but has not yet browned, about 4 minutes. Add the pureed tomatoes, remaining can of diced tomatoes with their juice and the broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Stir the remaining turkey into the sauce and continue to simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the filling, mix the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, parmesan, basil, egg, salt and pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9 inch baking dish and spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the bottom. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Place 1/3 cup of the filling on top of each noodle and spread evenly. Spread 1 cup of sauce evenly over the filling. Repeat this layering process twice more. Lay the remaining 3 noodles over the top. Spread the remaining 1 ½ cups sauce evenly over the noodles. Spray a piece of foil with vegetable oil spray and cover the lasagna tightly. Bake on a center rack for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the lasagna with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella. Continue to bake, uncovered, until the cheese is bubbling and slightly brown, about 10 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
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