Lasagna

By KatKD

Ingredients

• Serves: a small army, no matter how much you reduce the recipe – I think it multiplies in the oven
• ½ # fresh Italian style turkey sausage (2-3 links, skin removed)
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼# sliced mushrooms
• ½ tsp salt - rounded
• 2 Tblspn fresh basil, chiffonade, or 1 Tblspn dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 14.5-oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 6-8 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• ¼ cup egg substitute or 1 egg
• 1 12-oz carton low fat or fat free ricotta or cream-style cottage cheese
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tblspn dried parsley flakes, or 2 Tblspn flat leaf parsley
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preparation

Step 1

In a large skillet, cook the turkey sausage until it is no longer pink. Then, add the garlic, basil, oregano, mushrooms, onion, and salt, and sauté lightly. Stir in the diced tomatoes and tomato paste; simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Prepare the lasagna noodles according to the packet directions. Drain and rinse.

Put the egg substitute, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a full-size food processor and whirl until blended.

Lightly spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray, either regular or olive oil. Spread a small amount of meat sauce on the bottom, then layer with ½ of the noodles. Top with ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture, and ½ of the remaining meat sauce, and ½ of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat, ending with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Bake in a preheated oven, 375°F, for about 30 minutes – the top should be lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Additions:
½ tsp red pepper flakes to sauce

Make it easier:
Use your favorite marinara sauce, adding garlic, onion, mushrooms, and herbs has desired.

Make it meatless:
Don’t use the turkey sausage. Reduce salt in sauce to ¼ tsp rounded.
Sneak in veggies:
Add fresh spinach to the cheese mixture.
Thinly slice zucchini lengthwise and layer between cheese and meat or in place of noodles.
Peel small eggplant. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown in olive oil. Layer between cheese and meat or in place of noodles.