Mmmmmm....Lasagna! Who doesn't love it? This delicious concoction of layers upon layers of wide noodles, melted cheeses, and tomato sauce is the traditional celebratory meal of every Italian house-hold. Every holiday my mom asks us what we want for dinner and we all beg for her famous lasagna!
When my son was growing up, lasagna was not just reserved for special occasions. It was his favorite meal. Every couple of months I would make a big pan of my healthy version, divide it up and freeze it. That way, when he said he wanted lasagna, all I needed to do was pop it in the oven.
Stouffers has a commercial that suggests you can bring the family together if you serve their lasagna. It is a nice idea but honestly, any meal will gather your loved ones around the table; you just have to plan it. I have tried the Stouffers version and speaking as a true Italian, it is NOT lasagna! It is frozen solid and packed with fat, calories and preservatives. I would NEVER serve it to my family! They also have a Vegetable Lasagna but don't be fooled into thinking its healthy because of the vegetables. It is even more fattening and unhealthy than their traditional style.
A few reasons why we usually reserve lasagna for special occasions are because it is time consuming to assemble, takes awhile to bake, and it's loaded with meat and cheese which makes it rich and full of fat and calories. In honor of National Lasagna day, I thought I would share a few ways to make it a little easier and less of a guilty pleasure.
Whole grain all the way........
Whole wheat pasta of any kind is always the better alternative. It might take some getting used to but eventually you and your family will enjoy it and prefer it over the typical white flour kind. Whole wheat pasta tastes better in my opinion and holds up better with sauces or in casseroles.
No cooking required........
You can completely eliminate one whole step in your lasagna preparation if you use noodles that don't need to be boiled first. You can find "No Cook" or fresh lasagna noodles in gourmet stores and most Italian specialty stores. You might need to use a bit more sauce than usual because the dry noodles will soak up some of the liquid as it bakes. Make sure you take that into account or your lasagna will be too dry.
Add some green.........
Tossing some spinach into your lasagna will boost the nutrients. Steam a pound of fresh spinach in a little water and drain it very, very well and chop it up. You can also use a small package of frozen chopped spinach. Thaw it, drain well, and add just mix it into your ricotta cheese mixture. You can even use frozen chopped broccoli, if desired.
Leave out the meat..........
Whole wheat noodles and cheese makes lasagna a complete protein (meaning....it has as much protein as a piece of steak). You certainly don't need the meat. It is just one more time consuming step (you need to brown the chop meat first) and turns your masterpiece into layers of fat upon fat. If you MUST have the meat, use lean ground turkey. You can also try a meat alternative like MorningStar Crumbles. One package is equivalent to one pound of chop meat. Quickly brown it in a frying pan with a little olive before adding it to the lasagna. Once it's all cooked and the flavors all meld together, your family won't notice it's not real meat!
Tofu to the Rescue......
Cut back on the fat and calories in all that ricotta cheese by subsitution some it with crumbled tofu. If you are using one 32oz container of ricotta, use only half of it and make up the difference with the tofu (be sure to drain the tofu well before adding). Once you crumble it up with a fork, it looks exactly like the ricotta cheese. Tofu is high in protein and takes on the taste of whatever you cook it with.
You need a little fat.....
Fat free ricotta cheese and mozzarella in your lasagna is a complete disappointment. Don't try it! I never use fat-free products of any kind. They are artificial, plastic-like substances that never taste like the real thing and to use them in something you've worked so hard on is an abomination. Your lasagna will never taste the same or as satisfying. If you are concerned about fat, mix 1/2 of reduced fat ricotta cheese with the whole fat kind. Do the same with your shredded mozzarella. It's okay to indulge once in awhile and this is one of those times. You will be more satisfied and eat less if you have it the way you want it. And.....if you are omitting the chopmeat, you won't feel as guilty having the cheese.
Roll it up...........
This is no less time consuming, but it is a fun and different way to make lasagna. Take cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles (the no-cook type won't work for this), spread a layer of your cheese mixture, top with a little chopped spinach and roll each noodle up lengthwise. Place them on their sides into a baking pan (spread a thin layer of sauce in the pan first), pour a little more sauce over just bake in the oven. Bake covered for about 30-45 minutes, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and then put back into the oven uncovered for about 5 more minutes until cheese is melted. Figure 2-3 rollups per person (4 if your guests are very hungry). This is an impressive meal to serve to company and less heavy than the traditional slices of layers and layers of pasta, sauce and cheese.
Get creative! Have fun! You can toss just about anything you want into your lasagna: toasted pine nuts, shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms! Prepare it with all the love you have in your heart and your family will love you for it...........
And this is my Daily Cyn.............
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