When you think of good old-fashioned comfort food and lasagna comes to mind, what is your favorite part? Is it the gooey cheese? Or could it be the comforting pasta? Maybe it’s the zesty sauce? It couldn’t be the calories and fat could it? Lasagna is notorious for packing fat, carbs and calories into a single serving where one never seems to be enough.
By using low fat cheeses, egg whites and controlling the number of noodles, you can drastically cut fat, carbs and calories in this most scrumptious comfort food. It is entirely possible to have a low fat, low calorie, yet hearty and filling lasagna any night of the week that will not break a diet. Even if you follow a carb-restricted diet such as The Zone Diet, this lasagna is a perfect 3 blocks in your eating plan.
Cook Time
- Prep time:
- Cook time:
- Ready in:
- Yields: Serves 12
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 Ragu Light Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, 23.9 oz. jars
- 1 onion, small
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 TBS fresh basil, chopped
- 1 TBS fresh oregano, chopped
- 2 lbs ricotta cheese, part skim milk
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 8 oz mozzerella cheese, part skim milk
- 8 egg whites
- 2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Boil the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and lay the noodles flat on parchment or waxed paper until you are ready to assemble the lasagna.
- Empty the pasta sauce into a large pot. Peel and cut the onion in half and insert a tooth pick into each piece to keep it from falling apart and place it in the sauce. Stir in the brown sugar, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer at least 15 minutes, or until ready to assemble the lasagna. Stir the sauce frequently to keep it from burning.
- Place the ricotta, mozzarella and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg whites, parsley, pepper and salt. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Ladle enough sauce to coat the bottom of a three quart oblong baking dish. Arrange three lasagna noodles on the sauce. Spoon one third of the cheese mixture onto the noodles and spread it out evenly. Ladle more sauce onto the cheese, just barely covering it.
- Repeat with two more layers of three noodles, cheese and sauce. Finish off the top with the last three lasagna noodles and enough sauce to barely cover. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
- Place the baking dish on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 to 30 minutes until the lasagna is bubbling and just ever so slightly beginning to brown around the edges.
- Allow the lasagna to rest 15 minutes before serving.
Variation
To make vegetable lasagna, cook and drain a box of chopped spinach and stir into the cheese mixture.
Peel and grate ½ pound of carrots and mix into the sauce before simmering.
Cut one pound of zucchini into slices about ¼” thick and then cut each slice in half. Sauté the zucchini in a little bit of olive oil along with one clove of minced garlic and a dash of salt and pepper until barely tender.
Assemble the lasagna as follows: noodles, cheese, sauce, zucchini and repeat.
Tip
By simmering the sauce with an onion and freshly chopped herbs you enhance the flavor of a jarred sauce, giving it a fresh homemade taste.
