Of course, I made that same old weight loss resolution. Just like I do every.single.year. So what makes this year different? Well, I can't say for sure just yet. I guess part of the resolution is to regain control of my health (I have Graves Disease) as well as lose some weight and finally, get completely off the glutens.
Let me first say, I am terrified of being completely off glutens. I LOVE my glutens. They just don't love me back. I guess you could also say I am finished with these one sided relationships where I give and give and get sucked dry. That is me and my love affair with glutens. My doctor suggested to get those pesky glutens out of my diet in order to aid my body in working better, but the glutens have been winning the tug of war. Until now. In fact, tonight I made a gluten free (we'll call it GF, for short) meatloaf with GF gravy. I had GF potato soup for lunch. So far, so good. However, I will admit that the ground up GF cereal I used in place of bread crumbs wasn't enough to hold together the meatloaf...but it was still quite tasty.
So here I am dying to make a big pan of lasagna and not sure where to start because I have become hooked on those pre-boiled lasagna noodles. Those wonderful noodles are definitely NOT GF. So I have been off in search of an option for GF lasagna noodles that don't turn to total mush and found some pretty helpful tips. I can't wait to try this, thanks to http://www.floradawn.com/cooking/2010/05/14/no-boil-gluten-free-lasagna-noodles/. Basically, she suggests a brand, then soaking them in really hot tap water. Either way, I will have my lasagna and eat it too. Cake will be conquered another day.
So, here is my FAVORITE lasagna recipe...though here it is not in it's soon to be GF form, it is still fabulous and very, very low fat. In fact, on a recent trip to Provino's, my family admitted my lasagna was better than Provino's! In my book, that is a score. I adapted this recipe from "Cook Yourself Thin" but made a few changes based upon my family's likes. I cannot guarantee that it remains 337 calories per serving, but it is really close, perhaps even less! If you try it, let me know if you like it.
Skinny Lasagna
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1&1/2 LBS Veggies (equal parts squash/zucchini/eggplant)
1tsp Dried Thyme
Salt to taste
1 - 15 oz Tub part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup skim milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups shredded part skim mozzerella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 - 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (pat dry)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
black pepper to taste
5 cups tomato sauce (you can use the plain canned spaghetti sauce)
no cook lasagna noodles (about 12 sheets)
- pre heat oven to 375
- heat olive oil in large skillet, cook vegetables over medium high heat until soft, salt to taste. add thyme. Drain off water.
- In large bowl combine ricotta cheese, skim milk and eggs, stir together. Add 1 cup of mozzerella, all parmesan, spinach, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. stir to incorporate.
- Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of 9x13x2 pan. Layer noodles over sauce, slightly overlapping noodles. Spread 1/2 the ricotta mix on top of noodles and then cover with 1/2 of the veggie mix. Top with 1&1/2 cup tomato sauce. Repeat with noodles, remaining ricotta, veggies and 1&1/2 cup tomato sauce. Cover with noodles and remaining mozzerella cheese.
- Lightly spray aluminum foil sheet with cooking spray and cover uncooked lasagna (I hate to have to say it, but spray side down y'all- it keeps the cheese from cooking onto the foil and ripping off all the cheese when you pull up the foil!).
- Bake @ 375 for 45 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
- Remove the foil and bake an additional 12-15 minutes at 450 to brown cheese (YUMMYYYYY)
- Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving
If you try it, you BETTA leave a comment and let me know how it works out for you
:)Leah
Looks great! Can't wait to try it!
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