Recipe: I’m Feelin’ Lazy Lasagna

First off I have to say I love our library! I’ve utilized it so many times over the last year, whether it was using their wifi, checking out books, audiobooks, or dvds. I’m always surprised by the selection given I live in a really small town. Seriously, you should visit your local library if you don’t already!Anyway… I picked up a book called Substitute Yourself Skinny: Cut the Calories… I rarely make things that I’m unfamiliar with unless I see a photo of it first. This book had quite a few photos compared to other books I looked at and I was sold. I’ve bookmarked several pages of things I want to try already. Saturday I’m getting together with a few girlfriends at my sister’s house and we’re making an entree (Chicken Satay which is also from this book) together. It should be a lot of fun. I’ll share that recipe if it goes over well.Tuesday night I opted to make this lasagna recipe since it didn’t require me to pick up any new ingredients. Overall I liked it. I think it could have used something to sweeten it a bit and cheese on the top would have been wonderful — but I guess that would be counterproductive to eating less calories. Heh. Here is a photo of what it should look like, however, mine didn’t look quite that appetizing.

I’m feelin’ lazy lasagna

1 pound dried lasagna noodles1 tablespoon olive oil1 white or yellow onion2 cloves garlic, chopped3/4 pound lean ground beef2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves1/2 cup chopped cremini mushrooms1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes2 (6oz) cans tomato paste1 cup waterSea salt to tasteBlack pepper to taste2 cups nonfat ricotta cheese1 cup nonfat cottage cheese1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheeseI modified the recipe a bit and added 2 onions, 4 cloves of garlic (I’m glad I wasn’t kissing anyone!), added carrots and green pepper.01. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare the lasagna noodles as directed on the package. When cooked and drained, drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.02. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, and beef. Saute until the beef is browned and the onion is tender, about 7 minutes. Drain off the grease. Add the oregano, basil, parsley, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Stir to mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes.03. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, and Parmesan. Mix well.04. To make the lasagna, prepare a deep, rectangular baking dish by spraying it with nonstick spray. Arrange the lasagna noodles in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Spread with 1/3 of the meat sauce. Top with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Add another layer of lasagna noodles and top with half of the remaining meat mixture and half of the remaining cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer of noodles, using the remaining meat and cheese mixture. Finish with a layer of noodles on top.05. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes. Cut into 12 portions and serve.