Lasagna: SHV

Technically, this should be called the Somewhat Healthier Version Made for Someone That Doesn't Like Lasagna, i.e. SHVMFSTDLL. That's a little wordy, even for me. Basically, it means that I don't (can't) use onions in a visible form or any ricotta cheese whatsoever. And here we go!

You will need:

8 oz extra-lean ground beef
Salt, pepper, oregano and dried basil
1 medium onion, grated or chopped finely
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-156 ml can tomato paste
1-796 ml can diced tomatoes (or two lbs fresh)
6 whole grain whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 oz light mozzarella cheese
1 oz parmesan cheese (NOT the powdered stuff)
1 oz light mixed cheeses

Not pictured: Cheese!

Not pictured: More cheese!

This is one of those handy recipes you can prep as you go, yay! So, first brown the beef and drain. Usually I start with onions, but you just can't never tell how much fat is in ground beef, even if it's marked extra-lean. Drain all that off! After you have, sprinkle on some salt, pepper and oregano. Break the meat up as much as you can. Unless you like a lumpy lasagna, in that case fill yer boots.

I am grating my onion into the pan, should you not have a spouse that cannot stand the texture of said onions, you could just cut them into a small dice. Either way, cook them for about 3 minutes until they are almost soft. Add in the garlic, cook for another minute. Just one!

When you can smell the garlic, add in the tomato paste and sprinkle on some more dried oregano. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Add in the diced tomatoes. If you are using fresh, you would probably have wanted to have chopped them into a small dice by this point. This is also a good time to start cooking your noodles! To the sink for water!

Season with oregano, bay leaves and dried basil; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain the cooked noodles and put them in a bowl of cold water, set aside.

Spray a 10 x 13 pan with spray and pour 1 3/4 c of sauce into the bottom.

Place 3 of the noodles in an overlapping layer across the sauce. Mix the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses together. Reserve a little bit of the parmesan for the top. Sprinkle half over the noodles.

Repeat with the rest of the sauce, top with the last three noodles and then the rest of the cheese. Bake for 45 minutes in the 350 degrees oven, I added the final ounce of cheese 10 minutes before it is done.

I cut this into 6 pieces at 265 calories each. Add a salad, maybe a slice of garlicky toast and bam! Under 500 calories! We rock!

Enjoy!

The stuff that fell out the sides I threw on top