Date: Fri, 27 Jan 95 10:29:21 EST
From: kelly roddy (kroddy@falcon.bgsu.edu)
from Sarah Schlesinger's 500 Fat-Free Recipes.
SPINACH-MUSHROOM LASAGNA
Yield: 6 servings Prep. Time: 30 minutes plus 15 minutes standing time
Cooking time: 35 minutes plus lasagna cooking time
Spinach, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and carrots are baked with layers
of nonfat ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, and lasagna noodles. Serve
along-side green salad with raw vegetables.
3 c crushed fresh or low-sodium canned tomatoes
1/2 c chopped mushrooms
1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c chopped carrot
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c red wine or red grape juice
2 tbs honey
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c nonfat ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
8 oz lasagna noodles, cooked al dente and well drained
1 lb fresh spinach, well washed, drained and chopped
4 oz nonfat mozarella cheese, grated
1. Place tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, carrots, onion, wine or grape
juice, garlic, honey, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and black pepper
in a large, heavy saucepan. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix together the egg whites and the ricotta or cottage cheese. Set aside.
4. To assemble, place a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13
inch casserole. Cover the sauce with a layer of cooked lasagna noodles.
Spread ricotta-egg mixture over noodles and top with a layer of spinach.
Add another layer of noodles, another layer of sauce, and finish with
grated mozzarella.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
Calories per serving: 227 Carbohydrates: 36 g
Fat: 1 g Dietary Fiber: 4.3 g
Cholesterol: 3.8 mg Sodium: 264 mg
Protein: 15 g
MY NOTES: I doubled most of the spices and added red pepper flakes. (I
don't see how 1/2 tsp of basil and oregano could possibly be enough for a
full lasagna!)
I didn't use the spinach and it turned out fine.
There was an excess of liquid in the bottom of the casserole. Several
people suggested remedies for this. You could try to saute the mushrooms
first and drain the excess liquid from them. You could let the sauce
simmer longer so as to reduce some of the liquid. I suppose you could try
adding some cornstarch/arrowroot. However, don't try adding tomato paste
because this would probably change the flavor considerably.
This lasagna has a really nice flavor. I think the wine and carrots add a
lot to it since the tomato isn't prominent. It's a refreshing change from a
heavy, cheese and grease filled lasagna.
kwovolacto ovolacto