Lasagna on the ‘Light Lunch’ Menu

If you want to eat healthier but don't know how to start, you're not alone.  I was in the grocery store line in front of 2 young women who had just come from the gym.  We started talking about eating healthy and how hard it was to shop. 

I'm not a chef or a health expert, but I have thrown a meal together a time or two for my family over the years.  Last night it was lasagna and if I didn't tell anyone, they would have never known it was healthier.  I think the biggest trick to eating healthy, is finding food you like.  If it doesn't taste good, you won't eat it.  You just have to use alternatives or cut back on the fat.

For the lasagna you can use either a pound of 90% lean ground beef or ground turkey.  I cooked the meat, threw in a bottle of heart healthy spaghetti sauce and a number of spices.  Garlic, onion powder, italian spices, oregano and parsley went into the pot with chopped up onions.  I sometimes add green peppers if I have them.

While the meat and sauce were cooking, I mixed a cup of low fat cottage cheese with pepper and an egg white.  You can also use ricotta if you prefer.  I then layered wheat lasagna noodles,  low fat cottage cheese, meat mixure and sprinkled with low fat mozzerella cheese.

I threw it into the over, covered, at 375 for 45 minutes.  I took the foil off and cooked 15 minutes more.  I don't cook the noodles ahead of time, so it may not take as long in the oven if you do.  I let it stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.  A salad is a great side dish without the creamy dressings.  2 tablespoons of ranch or thousand island dressing is almost 150 calories.  And who uses only 2 tablespoons?  The oil based dressings are much better or no dressing at all.

Although this recipe is lighter than a normal lasagna dish, its by no means a diet meal for anyone looking to loose a lot weight.  Its just a healthier version of a family favorite.

What's your favorite comfort food?