Cheesy Lasagna Recipe Twist – Healthy Vegetarian Surprise  

September 1, 2010 | By john | No Comments »

Looking a healthy vegetarian way to do lasagna? You would be surprised how much <b>you won’t miss the meat</b> in this recipe and none of the taste is sacrificed. If you’re just trying to eat better a day or two per week, or if you’re on a diet and trying to find recipes to lose more weight – this is a pretty good alternative to that 15 lb grease-bomb lasagna you’ve been making for years.

Keep an open mind, and put those thoughts right out of your head about vegetarian dishes that taste like cardboard. You won’t find any soy products or tofu in this recipe. This is a bit different than your traditional lasagna – but very tasty and cheesy. Your kids will love it, and this may become a favorite you’ll want to make time and time again.

Here’s what you are going to need:

  • a 1lb box of elbow macaroni
  • 1 container low-fat ricotta cheese
  • 1 container of low-fat large curd cottage cheese
  • about 5oz frozen broccoli pieces (about 1/2 a normal bag)
  • 1 medium green pepper
  • 1 medium sized yellow or white onion
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce
  • about 4 tbsp minced garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic powder
  • italian seasonings
  • shredded mozzerella and romano cheese
  • Low-fat mozzerella cheese, shredded
  • extra virgin olive oil

Preparation is a lot simpler than you may think. Start a 4 quart pot to boil on the stove 1/2 full with hot tap water. Throw in a dash a salt and 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil. Then finely chop your onion and green pepper and set aside. Put your frozen broccoli in a medium sized bowl, put 1/2 inch of water in the bottom and microwave for 2 minutes. Take out the bowl, stir, and microwave for 2 more minutes. Your water should be boiling by now – place the macaroni in the boiling water, stir after 30 seconds to keep from clumping, and turn heat down to med-high. Stir every 3-5 minutes while you prepare everything else, and at this point pre-heat your oven at 375 degrees.

Next, in a large mixing bowl mix up cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, about 1/2 cup of mixed shredded parmesan/ricotta cheese mix, 2 tbsp of minced garlic, and about 2 tbsp italian seasonings. Oh – and some salt and pepper to taste. About now your elbow macaroni should be done. Drain in the sink in a colander and rinse, drain again. Place the macaroni back in the pan, toss with salt, fresh ground pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder, and 2 tbsp Italian seasonings.

Now, put a saucepan on the stove and drizzle the bottom with extra virgin olive oil. Place the onion and green pepper mix in the pan, mix the veggies with the olive oil and turn up to med-high heat. Stir up every few minutes, if too dry add just a little more olive oil or a few dollops or margarine. While this is cooking drain the broccoli and finely chop it up. Add to the pan with the onion and green pepper, along with the remaining 2 tbsp of minced garlic, cook about 2 minutes more add the jar of spaghetti sauce. Four cheese seems best for this. Just cook long enough for the mix to bubble while stirring every few minutes.

Time to assemble the lasagna! Just grease up a 9×13 baking pan with extra virgin olive oil and place a thin layer (1/3 of what you have) of elbow macaroni in the bottom. Top with 1/2 the spaghetti and veggie sauce mixture. Then another 1/3 of the noodles. Top with the entire cheese mixture and spread evenly. Add the remaining 1/3 of elbow macaroni and then top with the rest of the sauce mixture. Top with about 4 oz of shredded mozzerella cheese (1/2 a bag) and a few handfuls of shredded parmesan and ricotta cheese. Then bake for 30 minutes and bubbling and it’s ready to serve! The entire pan should server 8-10 people depending on serving size.

Do you have any questions or suggestions for this vegetarian lasagna? Please comment now!

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Category: Casserole, Cheese, Noodles, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian

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