Sunday, June 20, 2010

Beef and Spinach Lasagna

Summer always makes life hectic and all the rain we've been experiencing brings its own set of problems. And when I'm stressed or short on sleep - or both- I crave comfort food.

Lasagna is one of those foods that just makes you feel warm and full and happy. This recipe- another one from the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook- takes the greatness of lasagna and makes it lower in fat and calories by adding spinach.

My girls ate this with nary a complaint. And I loved that it reheated well for lunch the next day and "leftover night" a few days later.

Beef and Spinach Lasagna


Ingredients

* 1 pound lean ground beef (or lighten it up further with ground turkey)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 jars (26 ounces each) meatless spaghetti sauce
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 2 cups ricotta cheese
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
* 9 no-cook lasagna noodles (or cook wheat noodles; it works just as well)

Directions

*If you opt to cook your noodles, begin with that and let them cool while you follow the rest of the steps.
* In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, garlic, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella cheese until combined.
* Spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with three noodles. Spread 1-1/2 cups sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese.
* Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.


Nutrition Facts: 1 piece (prepared with lean ground beef) equals 281 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 50 mg cholesterol, 702 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 20 g protein.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase this cookbook using the links in this post I may earn a small (very small) amount of money.

1 comments:

lorna vanderhaeghe

Ground turkey can also be an alternative for the lasagna.

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