lasagna

What do you get when you combine another snowy day, a vat of leftover tomato sauce and an ambitious blogger??  You guessed it, lasagna!  This was actually my first attempt at lasagna (I'm a bad Italian!)... I guess I've never needed to make it myself with a momma like mine around!  Lasagna is very conducive to healthy modifications.  By making three simple swaps I am ditching tons of unwanted saturated fat without sacrificing tons of flavor.  I substituted a mixture of part skim and fat free ricotta cheese in place of the traditional whole, reduced fat mozzarella cheese for regular, and lean ground turkey instead of beef.  I also chopped up spinach and mixed it with the ricotta for added fiber and flavor.  I suppose you could use whole wheat noodles too, but you don't want to bend the rules too much.


Lasagna (serves 12)
about 2/3 lb uncooked lasagna noodles
2-3 cups tomato sauce (make your own or use your favorite jarred-- I didn't measure, sorry!)
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1 c. part skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, reduced fat
1 cup raw baby spinach or 1 package frozen 
1 tbsp dried parsley 
2 egg whites
1/2 lb lean ground turkey (97/3)
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 lg garlic cloves, pressed/minced
1 tsp olive oil


Start by boiling the lasagna noodles.  Follow the box instructions.  Make sure you separate the noodles after you strain them or else you'll have a big sticky glob of a noodle-mess.  I made a whole box but it turns out you'll only use a little more than half the box (using a 9x13 inch pan), unless you really pile it high.  ...Not quite sure what to do about the left over noodles-- if you have any ideas, shoot me an email or leave it in the comments!  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  While the noodles are boiling brown the turkey meat.  In a frying pan heat 1 teaspoon of oil with the chopped onion and 2 of the 3 large garlic cloves (or about 1 tbsp already minced).  Add the turkey, breaking up with a spatula-- cook on low until browned, about 10-15 minutes.  Set aside.

And while the meat is browning, mix the cheese filling.  In a large bowl combine both types of ricotta, the chopped spinach, egg whites, parsley, and the rest of the minced garlic.  Mix well.

Now you are ready to assemble the lasagna!! I know its a bit tedious with all the steps but it's really quite simple, just follow the pictures below.  Start with a 9x13 inch baking dish-- I suppose two 8x8's would work well too, but that involves noodle cutting! 

1) Add a layer of sauce to the pan, add 3 noodles or enough to cover the pan

2) Spread the ricotta filling and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (save at least 1/2 cup for the topping)

3) Add some ground turkey (it'll only last about two layers-- or one very meaty layer)

4) Glob some sauce on top and spread it around

Repeat steps 1 through 4 until you run out of ricotta filling... top it with noodles and sauce it up!

Bake it in the oven for about an hour or until the middle is hot and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.  Put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.  

And if you are thinking to yourself "well Jill, this sounds delicious and everything, but I am only one person.  What am I going to do with all this lasagna?!"  Well what I have to say to that is this: stop being dramatic!  It's called leftovers, people.  The night you make it, put half (or more) in tupperware and pop it in the freezer, it'll keep for a while.   I have but just one roommate and make army sized meals all the time! 

celebrity guest spot premiere: Marinara

Tonight kicks off the first (of hopefully many!) guest recipe features.  This one is brought to you by my friend Igor, green activist and kitchen all-star.  If I hadn't just made tomato sauce only a few hours ago, I would've given this recipe a test drive before posting.  I've sampled some of Igor's cooking before, so I won't question it :) 

Half the marinara on the shelves of grocery stores nowadays is filled with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, loads of salt and artificial flavoring.  If you want the good stuff, you gotta pay top dollar... or you can save yourself some money and do your body some good if you cook up a batch of your own!  P.S. – it also tastes better ;)

Igor’s Miraculous Marinara: I’m putting my Italian Grandma hat on

Prep time: 10 minutes.  Cook time: 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

¼ cup of olive oil

28oz can of diced tomatoes (unsalted)

2 cloves of fresh garlic – diced

1 small onion or ½ large onion – diced (yellow or red)

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons basil

½ cup of water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional:

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

½ cup of fresh mushrooms

 

First get out everything you need and prep your ingredients.

Heat up a large sized pan on high and add olive oil.  Throw in diced onions and mushrooms and sauté until soft and golden brown. Right before onions and mushrooms are done cooking, throw in fresh garlic and cook an extra minute.

Once vegetables are sautéed to your liking, add the canned tomatoes, and stir (No need to drain the can, the juice adds moisture).  

 
Add your ½ cup of water.  Add seasonings: oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes if you choose, and stir.

Let the sauce reach boiling point and turn down the heat to medium.  Let it thicken for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (Note: 10 – 15 minutes is an estimate.  Keep an eye on the sauce and let it thicken until it reaches a desired consistency).  After 10 – 15 minutes, the sauce should be close to done.  Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes depending on the consistency you desire.   If you like your sauce chunky, you are ready to eat.  If you like your sauce smooth, you can use a masher or a food processor to thin it out.  After initially cooking the sauce for 10 – 15 minutes, I prefer to use a masher, letting the sauce thicken for an extra 5 to 10 minutes while manually mashing it.

 
 You’re all set.  Enjoy!  Igor’s Miraculous Marinara goes great on pastas, as a side, or on tortilla, pita or French bread pizzas.