thumbs up!

This trimmed down lasagna recipe won rave reviews from my picky family!

Lasagna Deliziosa
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pkg. (20 oz.) Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (12 oz.) tomato paste
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 container (15 oz.) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1 T. minced fresh parsley (or dried)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, basil, fennel, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 min., stirring occasionally.
3. In a small bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese, parsley, and salt. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water. Spread 1 c. meat sauce in a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with three noodles, 2 c. meat sauce, 2/3 c. ricotta cheese mixture, 2/3 c. mozzarella and 1/4 c. Parmesan. Repeat layers twice.
4. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40 min. Uncover; bake 10-15 min. longer. Let stand for 10 min. before cutting.

I liked this recipe because it was easy to modify so I could eat it...and I used 1 lb. ground beef in place of the turkey sausage and 1/2 lb. ground beef, just because I have to in order to stay away from offending spices. I did have to use my meat sauce more sparingly, though. I also cut the salt in half. Each serving contains 323 calories and 12 g of fat.

I'm leaving tomorrow for a BSF retreat in St. Louis. Looks like we will get a taste of spring while we are down there! Say a prayer for my family while I am gone.