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Servings:
8


Vegetable cooking spray 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese

1 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp green peppercorns, ground

4 cups leeks, cleaned & chopped

3 red bell peppers, diced

3 cups pasta sauce, spicy red pepper (or favorite

low sodium, low fat pasta sauce)

1 pound mushrooms, cleaned & sliced 8 ounces lasagna noodles, no boil

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped ½ cup water

½ cup fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded

⅔cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded ½ cup fat free mozzarella cheese


Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 12x8x2 inch lasagna pan with vegetable cooking spray.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, warm the olive oil. Add leeks and sauté until they soften about 5 minutes. Add the diced red peppers, sauté an additional 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until they wilt and give off their juices, about 3-4 minutes. Add the fresh basil and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile in a medium-size bowl, combine the ½ cup of fat free mozzarella cheese, ⅓ cup of Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and green peppercorns. Mix well. For greater ease of spreading, scoop this mixture into a large pastry bag or zip-seal bagand cut off one corner.
  4. First spread ⅓ cup of pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking pan. Then layer your ingredients into the pan in the following order: layer of noodles, ½ of sauteed veggies, ⅓ cup of pasta sauce, and ½ of cheese mixture.
  5. Repeat the layering process. For the final layer, place a layer of noodles followed by the remaining ⅔ cup of pasta sauce to which you have added ½ cup of water.
  6. Top with the combined ⅔ cup of Parmesan and ½ cup of mozzarella.
  7. Cover loosely with foil that has been lightly oiled with vegetable cooking spray and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are bubbly and the top cheese later has melted. Remove the foil and return the lasagnato the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes for a golden cheesy top.
  8. Allow to sit for 10-15 min after removing from the oven prior to cutting


Tips

  1. Delicious with crusty Italian bread and a tossed green salad.
  2. To save time, use thin oven ready or no-boil lasagna noodles.


Nutrition Information (per serving)

343 calories (23.9% calories from fat), 9.1 grams total fat, (4.4 grams sat. fat), 24 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrate, 5grams dietary fiber, 32 mg cholesterol, 774 mg sodium, 445 mg calcium



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