Deconstructed Lasagna
The ultimate Italian comfort food need not be assembled à la Nonna. Try our deconstructed version, replete with traditional flavors and ready in less than 45 minutes, for a quick midweek dinner.
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Ingredients
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups eggplant, unpeeled and cubed
¼ cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup no-salted-added tomato sauce, divided
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1½ cups whole-wheat fusilli pasta
1 cup whole-wheat elbow macaroni
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup tomato, diced
10 fresh basil leaves, torn
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
Additional basil leaves, as garnish
Preparation
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté beef, onion, garlic, eggplant and carrots until meat is cooked thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sauce, oregano and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Then uncover and stir in spinach until just beginning to wilt.
2. Meanwhile, cook fusilli according to package directions in a medium pot. Drain and set aside in a bowl. Next, cook macaroni according to package directions using the same medium pot. Drain and add to fusilli.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, tomato, basil and oil.
4. In a large bowl, add beef mixture, both pastas, remaining ½ cup sauce and mozzarella, stirring until well combined. Then stir in ricotta mixture, until all contents are combined. Serve, garnished with additional basil leaves.
FREEZE IT: Let cool and freeze lasagna in a resealable container for 2 to 3 months. To reheat, defrost in refrigerator for 24 hours. Then heat in microwave on medium for 2 to 3 minutes or in saucepan on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1½ cup-serving
- Calories 420
- Carbohydrate Content 57 g
- Cholesterol Content 50 mg
- Fat Content 8 g
- Fiber Content 9 g
- Protein Content 33 g
- Saturated Fat Content 3 g
- Sodium Content 190 mg
- Sugar Content 7 g