Irresistible & Healthy Vegetarian Lasagna W/ Cream Sauce!

WindyCityHealthyChef's Note:

I love lasagna with white sauce but all the cheese, cream and carbs don't make it a healthy choice. I set out to revamp this great classic to be health-conscious while still keeping that great sinful taste and I came up with this recipe. The prep takes awhile since the lasagna noodles need to be cooked before baking and there are lots of veggies to slice up but it's well worth the effort! The healthy end result balances protein and carbs, gets in a serving of healthy veggies AND is so low-cal you can even enjoy a glass of white wine with it. Bon Appetit!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 2 cups zucchini, julienned
• 2 cups yellow squash, julienned
• 2 (15 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
• 2 cups carrots, julienned
• 1 cup broccoli floret, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles (Such as Hodgson Mills)
• 3 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 15 ounces fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves or 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. ·Spray a 13”x 9” pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set pan aside.
2. ·Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat; Add lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions; Remove from heat. Meanwhile, continue preparing lasagna filling.
3. ·Combine ricotta cheese and spinach in a small bowl and mix well; Set aside.
4. ·Spray large skillet or wok with olive oil cooking spray and heat pan over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli and garlic until tender. Add Italian seasoning and set aside to cool.
5. ·Heat 4T olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and continue to saute, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes while gradually increasing heat to medium-high.
6. ·Stir in milk and cook until thickened; Remove from heat and stir in 1/2c parmesan cheese.
7. ·Spoon just enough white sauce into lasagna pan to barely cover the bottom.
8. ·Line with 3 noodles and spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture (it’ll be a thin layer) down the center of each noodle. Top with 1/3 of the vegetable mixture and sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese (about 1c) over top before covering with 1/3 white sauce. Repeat 3 noodles; 1/3 each ricotta mixture, vegetable mixture and mozzarella cheese topped with 1/3 white sauce for second layer. Repeat layering for third layer but omit remaining mozzarella cheese and set aside. Cover with aluminum foil; Bake 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
9. ·Remove aluminum foil and add remaining mozzarella cheese, 3T parmesan cheese, parsley and basil. Bake until top is browned, about 10 more minutes.
10. ·Remove from oven and let sit 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Reviews

[MediaMama]

Made this recipe and it was yummy! I will be making it again. Thanks

[Pitlover64]

This is a great recipe. I found the prep a little labor intensive, everything was organic and whole, so all the chopping took time and I did make a double batch so that could be why. The family loved it. Thank you for the recipe!

[splash9080]

This was delicious! I added some extra flour to thicken the sauce a bit and used regular mozarella cheese and low-fat ricotta cheese. You can be flexible in how much fat you want in the cheese and milk. In the future, I will only add a half teaspoon of pepper because I am not much of a pepper fan. If my family wants pepper, they can sprinkle it on top! I will definitely make this again though, thank you for the great recipe :)