Here is the spinach lasagna recipe, from the Heart Smart cookbook, that my family loves
You will need ~
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach
Vegetable cooking spray
1 large onion finely chopped
2 or 3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemarry
1 can (15 ounces) low sodium tomato puree
1/4 cup tomato paste, low sodium variety if possible
1/2 cup dry
red wine
12 lasagna noodles (white, green or whole wheat)
1 egg white
2 cups (1 pound) part skim-milk ricotta cheese
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
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For my family, I use white lasagna noodles, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and Beringer cabernet sauvignon (for us this wine seems to agree with all 6 in our family ~ you CAN taste the wine in this recipe)
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Cook spinach according to directions. Drain well and let cool
Press to remove as much water as possible, set aside.
Spray vegetable cooking spray in a large skillet (non-stick is best).
Over medium heat, cook onion, garlic, oregano, basil and rosemarry, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add tomato puree, tomato paste and wine. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until sauce thickens and is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes (watch out for the sauce
popping ~ makes for nice stove splatters
.
Meanwhile, cook noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside. When cool
enought to handle, carefully separate noodles.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon about 1/4 of the sauce into a 9 by 13 inch backing dish. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise on the bottom and sides of the dish, overlapping as needed and bringing noodles up the sides of the dish. Spread half of the spinach over the noodles.
In a small bowl, lightly beat
the egg white, then blend in the ricotta cheese, pepper and nutmeg. Spread half of this mixture over the spinach. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella chees and 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Add another 1/4 of the tomato sauce. Top with 4 more noodles, remaining spinach, remaining ricotta mixture and another 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Then layer in order remaining 4 noodles, tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until hot
and bubbly
. Let cool
for about 10 minutes before cutting.
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I usually add more sauce and mozzarella cheese to make sure that I have enough to spread and cover each layer.
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Makes 8 servings ~ Excellent Potassium ~ Good Iron ~ Excellent Vitamin A ~ Vitamin C and Calcium ~ Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 medium-fat meat, 2 vegetable
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Nutrition Information Per Serving
Energy............296 calories
Fat................10 g
Saturated fat...6 g
Cholesterol......32 mg
Sodium...........611 mg
Carbohydrate...32 g
Protein...........19 g