Crowd-Pleasing Lasagna
| Number of portions: 10 | Prep time: 1 hour | Total time: 2 hours |
Ingredients
- 15 dried whole-wheat lasagna noodles
- 1 lb (454 g) raw extra lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
- 8 medium button mushrooms, diced
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 cans (28 oz/796 mL) no sodium added tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 15 oz (425 g) container low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 10 oz (283 g) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
Side Salad
- 10 cups spring mix lettuce
- 2 cucumbers, chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
- 3 tbsp (45 mL) balsamic vinegar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cook the lasagna pasta al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain them well, then lay out on waxed paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain fat. Remove beef from skillet; set aside.
- Add the oil to the same pan and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan. Stir in 1 can of tomato sauce and basil; simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- While the meat sauce cooks, combine the egg, ricotta cheese, spinach, black pepper, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl; set aside.
- Spread ½ of the second can of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish.
- Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top, touching but not overlapping.
- Spread one third of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, then spread one third of the meat sauce.
- Repeat noodle, ricotta and meat sauce for two more layers.
- Top the final layer of noodles with the remaining ½ can of tomato sauce and sprinkle on grated mozzarella.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more.
- Toss lettuce, cucumber, tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar together to make a side salad and serve with lasagna.
| Nutrient | Per portion |
| Calories | 469 kcal |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fibre | 12 g |
| Sodium | 208 mg |