Recipe: Fresh Vegetable Lasagna

Before

After

• 8 ounces (approx. 9 noodles) uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups low fat (1%) cottage cheese
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat spinach with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Combine spinach, carrots, green onions, bell pepper, parsley and black pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

3. Combine cottage cheese, buttermilk, yogurt and egg whites in a food processor or blender. Cover; process until smooth.

4. Spray 13x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange third of lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Spread with half of cottage cheese mixture, half of vegetable mixture, half of mushrooms, half of artichokes and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.

5. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Remove cover; continue baking 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces to serve. 

Per Slice:

Calories: 287

Carbs: 33

Fat: 7

Protein: 23

Note: I ended up leaving out the onions and mushrooms (hubby is allergic) and made 12 servings out of this instead of 8. But it was probably the yummiest vegetable lasagna I've EVER had. The cottage cheese mix looks and tastes JUST like ricotta would have with far fewer calories and fat. I can't wait to make this again!