Lazy Lasagna

Lasagna has been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid.  It's so comforting, cheesy and carb-a-licious.  It always looks so nice too, all the yummy layers of cheese and sauce and noodles.  The only bad thing about lasagna is the amount of time it takes to make it look so pretty.  When I decided that I wanted to make lasagna this week I started thinking of an easier way to make it.  Basically, what I did was break up all the noodles into smaller pieces and mix it with all my lasagna fixin's.  It might not look as pretty, but it sure was tasty!  There are a couple things I'll do different next time (I'll get into those after the recipe), but I think, for the most part, this is how I'm making lasagna from now on. I (obviously) make a vegetarian lasagna, but this would of course work with meat too.....if you're into that kind of thing :)

Lazy Lasagna
Serves 8

mmmm.....cheesy....

Ingredients:

12 oz whole wheat lasagna broken into small pieces

16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

15 oz lowfat ricotta cheese

2 cups reduced fat Italian blend cheese, divided

1.5 oz parmesan cheese, divided

1 large green pepper, chopped

2 small zucchini, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups marinara sauce

8 oz no salt added tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

2. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water until almost cooked (they will finish cooking in the oven).  While pasta is cooking, combine spinach, ricotta, 1 cup italian cheese and 1/2 oz parmesan.

3. Drain pasta and put back into hot pot and add all other ingredients, mix well.

4. Put pasta mixture into prepared baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake 30 minutes covered; remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until cheese is beginning to brown.

Nutritional Info:

Cal 361, Fat 11,g Chol 31mg, Sodium 717mg, Carbs 50g, Fiber 9g, Pro 25g

A few things I'll do differently next time:

The veggies were still pretty crisp, so either baking the lasagna covered another 1/2 hour or sautéing the veggies beforehand would take care of this.  Jason and I don't mind the vegetables with a little bite to them, but I will probably sauté the onions and garlic before next time.  Also, next time I will probably add a little bit more sauce.  The pasta wasn't dry, but I think one more cup of sauce will make it perfect.

And, of course, the possibilities are endless for lasagna additions.  Next time I might add eggplant.  I'd love to put mushrooms in it, but Jason's not a fan.  I used to sneak mushrooms into things, but he caught on and started threatening to sneak meat into things for me :)

Happy eating!